April: Sakyamuni, from the series Calendar in the Mood of the Tea Ceremony (Cha-in jûnikagetsu hangasaku), Shôwa period, dated 1956

April's print — Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha, depicted as the fourth month's image in the twelve-print "Calendar in the Mood of the Tea Ceremony" series from 1956 — places the founder of Buddhism within the Japanese tea culture that was, in the mid-twentieth century, undergoing a major revival. Munakata was closely associated with the mingei folk art movement and its leading figures, including potters like Hamada Shoji and Kawai Kanjiro who were revitalizing traditional craft. The tea ceremony as a frame for Buddhist iconography elegantly combines Munakata's religious and craft-oriented sensibilities.