Artist: Mizuno Toshikata (水野年方, 1866–1908) Title: Eika — Composing a Poem (詠歌) Series: Thirty-six Selected Beauties (Sanjūroku Kasen) Date: 1891–1894 Technique: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper Format: Ōban, approx. 36 × 24 cm Condition: Very good impression with fresh, vibrant colours. Light toning to paper, some soiling. Please refer to the images for full condition details. About the print: A Heian-era court lady sits in elegant repose on the edge of a veranda, brush poised mid-thought as she gazes upward in search of poetic inspiration. Before her rests a writing desk (bundai) laid with paper, ink stone, and a pair of golden-handled brushes — the tools of waka composition. A gnarled maple in full autumn colour sweeps dramatically across the upper half of the design, its crimson foliage rendered in fine, feathery detail against the pale grey verticals of a bamboo blind (sudare). A tasselled wind-chime (fūrin) hangs from the lintel overhead, while teal-green curtain borders patterned with dark roundels frame the scene to the right, anchoring the composition with architectural weight. The poetess wears a sumptuous layered ensemble: a lavender outer robe (uchigi) decorated with large floral medallions in blue and green over a vivid vermilion under-robe whose generous folds pool around her in the classic Heian trailing silhouette. A gold comb secures her long black hair. The subject line in the cartouche — 詠歌 (eika, "composing a poem") — paired with the fiery maple and the contemplative upward gaze, evokes the very heart of Heian court culture: the moment of creative stillness before a verse takes form, the poet drawing meaning from the autumn landscape around her. Interesting notes about this series: Published between 1891 and 1894, the series pairs elegant depictions of women from various historical periods with scenes of daily life — tea ceremony, music, travel, and leisure — offering a nostalgic panorama of feminine grace across the ages. This series was directly inspired by Yoshitoshi's iconic One Hundred Aspects of the Moon and showcases refined mokuhanga techniques throughout, including burnishing (tsuyazuri) on black areas such as the lacquered hat, delicate embossing (karazuri), and subtle bokashi gradation. Many designs in the series also feature metallic pigments. The prints were produced on high-quality hosho paper using plant-based pigments, resulting in colours that have retained their freshness remarkably well over more than a century. Affordably priced on today's market relative to their exceptional craftsmanship, the Sanjūroku Kasen series represents a perfect entry point into the world of ukiyo-e collecting — offering museum-quality printing at an accessible price.