Picture of Snow leopard Ukiyo-e

Origin Story

Long ago, in a small Japanese village that lay at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, there lived a young girl named Akane. She was very beautiful and had large shiny black eyes. Despite her beauty, she was very shy and spoke to no one.

One day, while walking in the surrounding woods, she heard a strange noise coming from the snow-covered trees. She approached slowly to see what it could be and saw a white leopard sitting on a branch. He looked at her with curiosity but without fear because he knew she wouldn't hurt him. Akane was fascinated by the magnificent animal which seemed so peaceful and free in its natural habitat.

She then decided to follow the snow leopard each time she saw it in order to get to know it better and learn to better understand the nature that surrounded it. One day, she met Keisai Eisen - a famous artist - who came to paint the snowy landscape where the snow leopard lived. He was so impressed by the beauty of the landscape as well as Akane that he decided to paint an ukiyo-e (a traditional Japanese painting) depicting Akane accompanied by the majestic white animal. This work is still known today as “The Snow Leopard”.