First Love 4

The fourth installment of the First Love series continues the [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) sequence with a figure whose positioning or expression may convey a shift in emotional register—perhaps a more open acknowledgment of feeling than the earlier prints allowed. The gap in numbering between prints two and four suggests that the series may have comprised more than the extant recorded works, with intermediate compositions unaccounted for in accessible databases. Compositionally, this print likely maintains the figure-forward approach of the series while varying the background elements—a seasonal motif, an architectural fragment, or a suggestion of outdoor setting—to mark narrative progression. The textile patterns of the kimono would distinguish each figure across the series, requiring fresh color block preparation for each print. Decorative ground motifs, rendered in flat tones without modeled shadow, are consistent with the [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e) polychrome tradition.