Coleus

One of nine coleus designs by Taisui, this print examines the ornamental plant from what is likely a distinct vantage point or with a varied selection of leaf forms relative to others in the series. The fourth variant may emphasize the contrast between younger, brighter leaves near the growing tip and older, more saturated foliage lower on the stem. In [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) practice, a series of this scope implies that the publisher — Sakai-Kawaguchi in this case — recognized sufficient commercial and aesthetic interest in the subject to commission sequential designs. Each print would have been hand-printed in limited editions, with the pigments mixed to consistent standards to maintain coherence across the nine compositions.