Mandarin Duck Notebook 1 — 鴛鴦帳

The first in a series titled "Mandarin Duck Notebook," this oban woodblock print takes its name from the oshidori, mandarin ducks that mate for life and serve as symbols of conjugal devotion in Japanese culture. The Japanese title uses characters suggesting an intimate journal or album. Komura Settai, best known for his images of beautiful women, here turns to a subject that bridges the bijin-ga and kacho-e traditions, as mandarin ducks frequently appeared alongside female figures in classical art as emblems of romantic love. The notebook format suggests this was conceived as part of a serial publication, a form Settai knew well from his extensive career as a book and magazine illustrator.