Daffodils

A second treatment of the daffodil subject by Nishimura Hodo, this print likely varies from its companion works in composition or colorway. Narcissus flowers were depicted repeatedly by printmakers working in the [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) and [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) periods because the plant's sculptural form and restrained palette presented both technical challenge and aesthetic reward. In this version, the arrangement of blooms may differ — perhaps fewer flowers with greater emphasis on stem and leaf structure, or a tighter cropping that foregrounds petal texture. The white and pale yellow pigments used for narcissus blossoms required careful inking of the color blocks to maintain luminosity against the [washi](/glossary/washi) ground. A muted background wash would direct attention to the blossoms themselves.