Camelia 2

This print belongs to Kawano's extended series of camellia (tsubaki) subjects, identified here as a second variant within that grouping. The tsubaki was among the most frequently depicted flowers in Japanese woodblock printmaking, valued for its bold round form, deep green foliage, and associations with late winter and early spring. Kawano's [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) interpretation likely presents the blooms in close-up, the hand-carved lines describing petals and leaves with the same assertive quality he brought to figure work. The camellia's radially symmetrical flower lends itself to block printing because its clean outlines transfer readily to the keyblock, while the contrast between the red or pink petals and the glossy dark green leaves provides a ready palette for color block registration. As a second variant, this print may differ from its companion in palette, scale, or compositional cropping — Kawano often produced multiple states or editions of successful subjects to meet collector demand. The work was likely printed in limited edition on [washi](/glossary/washi).