Narcissus

Narcissus, known in Japan as suisen, blooms from late autumn through early spring along the southern coasts of Honshu, particularly around the Echizen and Awaji peninsulas, and has long been associated with quiet midwinter elegance. Ohtsu's print is likely a close still-life arrangement of a small cluster of stems with their characteristic narrow blade leaves and white-and-yellow trumpet flowers, set against an uninflected ground of pale [washi](/glossary/washi) or a softly graded color field. Such [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) — bird-and-flower or plant studies — form a botanical strand within his work that runs alongside the better-known landscapes. The technical demands center on registration and color economy: carved outlines must hold the delicate flower forms, while [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations in the leaves and background shape volume without resorting to heavy modeling. The palette typically rests on cool greens, soft yellows, and the white of unprinted paper, with a single deeper accent in shadow. Among Ohtsu's flower prints, Narcissus reads as a winter pendant to his spring and summer botanical subjects.