Hat with tree peony

This decorative composition pairs a hat form with a botan (tree peony), combining the kacho-e tradition of botanical study with a still-life sensibility. The tree peony — with its large, layered blossoms in deep pink, white, or red — was one of the most prestigious flower subjects in Japanese art, associated with nobility and summer abundance. Gekko's placement of the peony against or within a hat form — perhaps a kasa or a decorative obiage — creates an unusual pairing that emphasizes the flower's voluminous structure through contrast with the hat's geometric lines. Multiple woodblock impressions would be required to achieve the peony's characteristic tonal depth, with fine line-cutting differentiating individual petals.