Matsumoto Ichiyō (1893–1952) 
Unohana (Deutzia crenata) 
Japan, c. 1926–1952 
Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper 
Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-126)

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Unohana flowers are associated with early summer in classical Japanese literature, and often appear in poetry as symbols of this season. Here Ichiyō depicts a woman dressed in Heian-period (794–1185) style admiring the white flowers, while two egrets fly under a cloud arc in the background. The rounded forms and mineral colors of the distant hills are typical of traditional Japanese-style painting (Yamato-e) from the Heian period as well. 
 
Ichiyō often radically reinterprets his subjects, as is the case both here and for Walking on a Bridge on display nearby. The figure in Unohana might be Sei Shōnagon (c. 966–1017 or 1025), a pioneering female poet of the Heian period whose famous works include The Pillow Book. One episode in The Pillow Book features unohana, which Sei Shōnagon uses to decorate her cart on a lazy early summer day. However, the cart, as well as other motifs usually connected with unohana such as cuckoos, are missing from the composition.