
Furosou
風露草
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Image courtesy of
- Kyoto Prints
Description
Furosou (風露草) is the Japanese name for wild cranesbill geranium, a small flowering plant found throughout Japan's woodlands and roadsides. Ebizuka's woodblock interpretation of this modest botanical subject reflects a tradition of close observational printmaking in which the particular — a single plant, its leaf structure, its delicate petals — carries expressive weight. The title's three kanji, meaning wind, dew, and grass, evoke a sensory register beyond the purely visual, suggesting moisture and air movement as inseparable from the plant's identity. Printed on [washi](/glossary/washi), the fine-grained paper surface would accommodate the intricate vein detail of the leaves and the subtle color gradations of the petals. The composition likely isolates the plant against a plain ground, emphasizing silhouette and botanical particularity over decorative arrangement.





