The Introduction (Miai), the first sheet from the series "Marriage in Brocade Prints, the Carriage of the Virtuous Woman (Konrei nishiki misao-guruma)"

The Introduction (Miai), the first sheet from the series Marriage in Brocade Prints, the Carriage of the Virtuous Woman (Konrei nishiki misao-guruma), dated 1764 in the Art Institute of Chicago, opens a Suzuki Harunobu cycle that systematically follows the stages of an Edo marriage. The miai, or formal introduction of prospective spouses through a go-between, marked the social beginning of the union and was therefore an obvious point of departure for an extended print series. Harunobu stages the encounter in an interior space, with the principals seated in carefully observed formal postures and supporting figures arranged to mark the social geometry of the meeting. The figures display the slender bodies and refined gestures that define his Edo bijin-ga, and the textile patterns and accessories are realized through the careful color registration of nishiki-e. By treating marriage as both ritual sequence and visual narrative, the series allowed Suzuki Harunobu to demonstrate his mastery of social ceremony and his ability to sustain a unifying style across multiple sheets. The Art Institute of Chicago's impression preserves the clarity of line and the disciplined polychrome palette that make this opening scene readable as both a record of Edo custom and the first chapter in a carefully planned pictorial cycle.