Marigold (Kinsenka) and Rashomon Flowers, from the series "Collection of Plants for the Kasumi Poetry Circle (Kasumi-ren somoku awase)"

Marigold (Kinsenka) and Rashomon Flowers belongs to Kubo Shunman's series Collection of Plants for the Kasumi Poetry Circle (Kasumi-ren somoku awase), a sequence of surimono produced in collaboration with one of the active kyoka groups Shunman served as house designer. Each sheet in the series pairs carefully observed botanical motifs with comic verse, and the pictures function as kyoka-e in the fullest sense: the plant becomes a hinge for the poem's wordplay, often turning on the flower's name, season, or literary associations. The marigold, called kinsenka or "gold coin flower," carried obvious associations with wealth and good fortune, while Rashomon hibiscus took its name from the famous Kyoto gate and the Noh play built around it, giving the design a sly literary resonance that the Kasumi circle's poets would have read instantly. Shunman's drawing is uncluttered, with stems and leaves arranged across the sheet to leave generous room for the inscribed verse. Issued around 1810 and now held by the Art Institute of Chicago, this print exemplifies the Edo ukiyo-e surimono tradition at its most refined: a small luxury object made for poetry clubs rather than the open market, printed with extra care from blocks cut to register fine detail. For modern viewers approaching Kubo Shunman, the sheet is an excellent example of how botanical subjects in his hands became vehicles for literary culture, social belonging, and seasonal awareness all at once.