Plum blossoms and poet, from an untitled hexaptych depicting a pair of folding screens

Art Historical Context

This delicate color woodblock print by Ryuryukyo Shinsai, created around 1825, captures the refined elegance of early nineteenth-century Japanese art. Titled *Plum blossoms poet*, it forms one sheet of a shikishiban hexaptych—a six-part composition meant to evoke a pair of folding screens. The square format and luxurious printing technique identify it as a surimono, a privately commissioned print often exchanged among poetry circles during the New Year or special occasions. Surimono such as this one highlight the sophisticated collaboration between artists, poets, and skilled printers in Edo-...