Illustrated Book: Field of Scarlet Kudzu
(Ehon makuzugahara), 1741 (reprinted 1760s)

Woodblock-printed book
Private Collection

Nishikawa Sukenobu was one of the Edo period’s most influential designers of illustrated books. Residing in Kyoto, he produced images that combined long-appreciated classical associations with contemporary styles and subjects. In this illustration Sukenobu shows a group of people enjoying an evening of boating on the river; on the left, the man reaches up to fan the fireflies, in a scene described in the poem above, just as the dusk is falling. Here, place and time are evoked through poetic associations with the fireflies in summer.

Julie Nelson Davis