Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shū), vol. 3: Sparrows and Dandelions

A fourth Harusame shū plate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this [surimono](/glossary/surimono) pairs sparrows with dandelions — a humbler, more local kachō pairing than the peonies-and-swallows mode, and one suited to the unpretentious humor of much kyōka verse. Sparrows were the most familiar small bird of Edo gardens and dandelions the most common wild flower, growing in courtyards and along roadsides; choosing them as a surimono subject gave the print a wry intimacy that contrasted with the formal grandeur of peonies-and-peacock designs in the same album. The pairing flatters the kyōka aesthetic of mitate — finding poetic occasion in the ordinary — and would have given the poetry circle's verses scope for both naturalistic observation and gentle self-mockery. Hokuba treats the pair with the same precise observation he brought to the album's grander plates, the small birds picking at the dandelion stems with naturalistic attention, the printing's clean line allowing the modest subject to hold the page. The Met's impression preserves the album mounting and color register.