Ebisu and Benten Walking in the Snow

Art Historical Context

In the serene woodblock print *Ebisu and Benten in the Snow*, Uawa Toyohiro captures a whimsical moment from Japanese folklore. Created during Japan's Edo period (16151868), this intimate surimono—a luxurious, privately commissioned print often produced for New Year's greetings—features the Shinto deities Ebisu, god of fishermen and prosperity, anden, goddess of music eloquence, strolling hand-in-hand through a snowy landscape. Toyohiro a master of the Utagawa school and mentor to Hiroshige, renders their figures with delicate grace against a wintry backdrop, evoking a sense of playful divinity amid everyday beauty. Surimono like this one stand out for their refined techniques: vibrant inks, subtle color gradients, and sometimes mica or embossing for texture, all printed on fine paper in small editions for elite patrons. The compact size (just over 8 by 7 inches) invites close viewing, highlighting Toyohiro's skill in composition and atmospheric depth. Culturally, pairing these auspicious kami symbolizes good fortune and harmony, blending spirituality with the ukiyo-e tradition's celebration of fleeting pleasures. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's H. O. Havemeyer Collection, this print offers a window into Edo Japan's vibrant print culture, where gods walked familiar paths, delighting collectors then and now.

About the Artist

Utagawa Toyohiro · 1763–1828

Utagawa Toyohiro (1763–1828) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist and painter who founded a major branch of the Utagawa school and is best remembered as the teacher of Utagawa Hiroshige, one of the greatest landscape print designers in Japanese art history. Born in Edo (present-day Tokyo), he studied under Utagawa Toyoharu, the founder of the Utagawa school, who was noted for introducing Western perspect...