Dahlia

This kacho-e (flower-and-bird) subject depicts dahlias (daria in Japanese), tuberous flowers native to Mexico that became popular ornamental plants in Meiji and Taisho Japan. Hasui's floral prints occupy a smaller proportion of his output than his landscapes, but they demonstrate the same technical precision in color gradation and key-block line. Dahlias offer a particularly demanding subject for woodblock printing: their layered, symmetrical petals require careful carving to distinguish individual layers without losing the impression of three-dimensionality, while their saturated color — deep crimson, magenta, or ochre depending on variety — required dense pigment application across multiple impressions. The composition may present one or several blooms with foliage against a neutral or graded ground. As with Hasui's landscape work, the print was produced using handmade washi paper, water-based pigments, and the pressure of a baren against hand-carved cherry-wood blocks.