Ehon Tokiwagusa

Ehon Tokiwagusa, an undated three-volume woodblock-printed book of the seventeenth or eighteenth century in the Art Institute of Chicago, is the Picture Book of the Evergreens — one of Sukenobu's most-reprinted titles and a key example of how his ehon used seasonal botanical imagery as a framework for depicting women. Tokiwagusa, literally 'eternal grasses,' refers to evergreen plants that retain their leaves through winter, and the title accordingly implies endurance, constancy, and a kind of quiet seasonal grace — virtues consistently mapped onto the female figures depicted across the three volumes. The first known edition of Ehon Tokiwagusa was published in 1731 (also held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art), and the title was reprinted multiple times across the eighteenth century. The Art Institute's undated copy may belong to any of several editions; identifying which depends on close comparison of block wear, paper, and any surviving colophons. The pages typically pair two female figures in indoor or garden settings, often shown in attitudes of conversation, instruction, or quiet shared activity — the relational vignettes that Sukenobu treated with particular skill.