Butterfly and Hydrangea

The second of Taisui's butterfly-and-hydrangea designs offers a variant on the summer [kacho-e](/glossary/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](/glossary/washi) ground likely shows subtle [bokashi](/glossary/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.