Taki-no-gawa no koyo 滝の川乃紅葉 / Hana bijin meisho awase 花美人名所合

This print from Gekko's Hana bijin meisho awase series pairs a bijin figure with the famous Taki-no-gawa maple grove in what is now Kita ward, Tokyo. Taki-no-gawa (Waterfall River) was among Edo's celebrated autumn foliage destinations, its steep-sided valley renowned for the blazing reds and oranges of its maple canopy reflected in the river below. Gekko renders the meisho setting as a backdrop or contextual surround for the female figure, whose kimono pattern and pose would relate compositionally to the seasonal landscape. The meisho awase format — matching beautiful women to famous places — was a well-established Meiji device, combining the appeal of [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) with the informational or nostalgic content of landmark scenes. [Bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradients in crimson and gold would have been used to render the autumn foliage with atmospheric depth appropriate to the season.