Morning Glory

Morning Glory departs from Morimura's dominant architectural mode to engage the kacho-e tradition of flower-and-nature subjects. The morning glory (Ipomoea nil, known in Japanese as asagao) carries strong seasonal and cultural associations with early summer and transience, having been a subject in Japanese painting and printmaking since at least the Edo period. Morimura's approach likely applies his signature geometric rigor to the plant's coiling vines and trumpet-shaped blossoms, reducing organic forms to precise curves and flat color fields printed with oil-based inks on washi. The result would sit at the intersection of botanical observation and formal abstraction, with the characteristic deep blacks and luminous secondary tones produced by his multi-block process. Unlike traditional nishiki-e depictions of asagao that emphasize calligraphic line, Morimura's oil-ink technique allows for denser pigment layering, giving the blossoms a saturated intensity well-suited to the flower's vivid purples and blues.