Triptych: Village of Cherry Blossoms, from the series Esteemed Towns and Villages (Tôsei furaku tsû), Meiji period, 1897

This 1897 triptych — three woodblock prints forming a continuous panoramic scene — depicts a village of cherry blossoms from the series "Esteemed Towns and Villages" (Tosei furaku tsu). The cherry blossom viewing scene was one of the most celebrated subjects in Japanese printmaking, and Shuntei brings it to the specific context of a village gathering: the communal festivity of hanami, the social ritual of observing and celebrating the blossoms together, depicted with attention to the specific social choreography of the event. The triptych format allows the panoramic sweep appropriate to a scene encompassing an entire village community.