Iris No 151 — 花菖蒲 No 151

The one hundred fifty-first entry in Sugiura Kazutoshi's monumental iris series (花菖蒲) captures the hana-shōbu — the Japanese garden iris — at a stage of full bloom, its sword-like leaves framing blossoms that seem to radiate outward from a dense center. Working with woodblock, silkscreen, and gold-leaf application in combination, Sugiura builds each iris composition through as many as thirty print passes, resulting in chromatic depth that no single technique could achieve alone. This high-numbered entry in the series shows the confident economy Sugiura developed over decades of returning to the same subject.