Suzuki Harunobu (1725–1770) is credited with pioneering the full-colour woodblock print in Japan — known as nishiki-e, or “brocade pictures” — when he introduced multi-block colour printing around 1765. This scene, a woman stooping to gather chrysanthemums beside a flowing stream in autumn, belongs to the lyrical genre subjects of his mature career.
Harunobu’s figures are characteristically slight and willowy, their features delicate, their expressions private. The chrysanthemum — a flower long associated in Japan with autumn, longevity, and the imperial household — frames the figure in seasonal colour. The composition reads as a painted poem rather than a genre document.
The print’s warm autumn palette — chrysanthemum gold, reddening leaves, pale blue stream — suits rooms with wood tones and natural textiles. Its small, concentrated visual field makes it effective in intimate spaces: a bedroom shelf, a study corner, a hallway wall.
Available as an archiv . . . Read More >>
Suzuki Harunobu (1725–1770) is credited with pioneering the full-colour woodblock print in Japan — known as nishiki-e, or “brocade pictures” — when he introduced multi-block colour printing around 1765. This scene, a woman stooping to gather chrysanthemums beside a flowing stream in autumn, belongs to the lyrical genre subjects of his mature career.
Harunobu’s figures are characteristically slight and willowy, their features delicate, their expressions private. The chrysanthemum — a flower long associated in Japan with autumn, longevity, and the imperial household — frames the figure in seasonal colour. The composition reads as a painted poem rather than a genre document.
The print’s warm autumn palette — chrysanthemum gold, reddening leaves, pale blue stream — suits rooms with wood tones and natural textiles. Its small, concentrated visual field makes it effective in intimate spaces: a bedroom shelf, a study corner, a hallway wall.
Available as an archival-quality fine-art paper print or as a framed piece behind shatter-resistant acrylic glazing.
Frequently asked questions
What is nishiki-e, and why was Harunobu significant to its development?
Nishiki-e are full-colour woodblock prints produced from multiple carved blocks, one per colour. Harunobu refined the technique in the mid-1760s, dramatically increasing the number of colour blocks per print and setting a new standard for pictorial richness in Japanese printmaking.
What does the chrysanthemum (kiku) symbolise in Japanese culture?
The chrysanthemum holds the highest symbolic status in Japan — it is the crest of the imperial family. More broadly it represents longevity, renewal, and the beauty of late autumn. Harunobu’s seasonal subjects work with these associations rather than stating them directly.
What is the artistic style of Harunobu’s figures?
Harunobu depicted women and children in a distinctly elongated, delicate style known as yōen — ethereal and gentle. His figures often seem to float rather than stand, giving his prints a dreamlike quality quite different from the more grounded figures of later bijin-ga masters.
When was this print made?
The work dates to the mid-to-late 1760s — Harunobu’s most productive period, immediately following the introduction of full-colour nishiki-e printing. Harunobu died in 1770, leaving a concentrated body of work from roughly a single decade.
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Japan historical period: Edo 江戸 (1603-1868)
Check out other artwork of Suzuki Harunobu
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#Bijin-Ga
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#Chrysanthemum
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#Edo Period
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#Flowers
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#Japanese Art
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#Japanese Woodblock Print
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#Kimono
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#Stream
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#Suzuki Harunobu
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#Ukiyo-E
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#Water
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#Waterside
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#Woman
