Canna Lily

Canna lilies (kanna) rendered in Hodo's vivid kachō-ga woodblock style — the tropical plants with their bold, paddle-shaped leaves and brilliant orange or red blooms representing the height of Japanese summer. Canna were planted in public parks and gardens throughout Japan in the early twentieth century, their assertive, tropical color contrasting with the more restrained palette of traditional Japanese garden plants. Hodo's treatment likely captures the flowers against a plain or atmospheric background that allows their vivid coloring full expression.