Taiken-mon in no Horikawa

Here is the second of the two women in this year's series of ten prints - Horikawa, a lady-in-waiting to a consort of the Emperor. The design is actually quite similar to the print of Ono no Komachi you received some months ago, with both women inspecting their beautiful long hair in a mirror. Horikawa's poem is also quite romantic ...

We know the name of the man who was the chief carver for the Shunsho book back in 1775 - Shinshichiro Inoue. I don't think that he did all the carving himself, but quite probably only did the faces, hands, poetry, and other important or difficult parts. The rest would have been done by less experienced workers. I wonder who carved the flowers on the kimono of this print? Look at the pattern down on the lower right side. The criss-cross lines are missing from the centre of one of the flowers! What happened on that day that this flower was carved so long ago? Perhaps Inoue-san was daydreaming as he worked, and mistakenly cleared that area. Perhaps a young apprentice carver spoiled the pattern and no one noticed that he had left the circle empty. Of course we can never know. As I was carving that same flower, 220 years after those men, I found myself wondering about their life and work. They were very proud and skilled workers, and I feel quite saddened that their traditions are nearly gone. I only hope that my efforts with these prints can help keep something of their spirit alive just a little bit longer, before it disappears forever.

I hope you enjoy this print. Coming next - Sarumaru Dayu

Translation - Tom Galt 1982