Primrose

Primroses rendered in Hodo's decorative woodblock style — the small, colorful flowers that bloom in early spring representing the first reliable harbingers of the season's arrival. In Japanese floral tradition, primroses (sakurasou, the cherry-blossom primrose, or Western primula species) were cultivated with great care, their modest scale and vivid colors making them favorite subjects for intimate floral arrangements and garden cultivation. Hodo's treatment captures the flowers' modest charm within the refined decorative language of the kachō-ga tradition.