Coleus

Taisui's third coleus design continues the systematic examination of this foliage plant's visual properties across the nine-print series. Unlike [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) subjects that incorporate seasonal birds or flowering branches, the coleus prints depend entirely on leaf form and color for their visual argument — a formally rigorous approach. This variant likely experiments with the density of foliage in frame, perhaps showing a fuller cluster or a more isolated single stem than adjacent prints. The Sakai-Kawaguchi workshop's precision in pigment mixing and block registration would have been essential in maintaining the distinct color zones within each leaf — particularly the crisp demarcation between central and marginal coloration that gives coleus leaves their ornamental character.