Spray of Plum-Blossoms — 梅枝

Spray of Plum Blossoms (梅枝, Umegae) connects directly to the chapter of The Tale of Genji that bears the same name — Chapter 32, "The Plum Branch" — and represents either the chapter illustration from Maeda's complete Genji series or a separate treatment of the plum branch imagery that Murasaki Shikibu used to frame the chapter's themes of aesthetic competition and paternal love. The plum branch, with its delicate white or pink blossoms appearing before the tree's leaves, was one of Japanese poetry's most beloved seasonal images, and Maeda's graphic line gave the subject its characteristic bold directness.