Butterfly and Hydrangea

The second of Taisui's butterfly-and-hydrangea designs offers a variant on the summer kacho-e subject. The pairing of ajisai with a hovering butterfly was a recurring motif in Japanese decorative arts, and Taisui's two prints on this theme suggest he explored different moments — perhaps a butterfly at rest versus in flight, or a shift in floral mass versus negative space. Printed under the Sakai-Kawaguchi imprint, the design would have required multiple color blocks for the hydrangea's cool tonal range and additional blocks for the butterfly's patterned wing markings. The washi ground likely shows subtle bokashi suggesting soft light filtering through garden air. This variant distinguishes itself compositionally from its companion print through arrangement of the blooms and butterfly placement.