Potted Plant (Ueki), from the series "Eighteen Illustrations of the Ladder of Ancient Words (Kogentei juhachiban tsuzuki)"

Two men tend a large potted shrub in a garden setting, one crouching to grip the tub with both hands while the other bends forward beside a tall stone lantern, a wisp-like fern or moss plant trailing over its rim; a small potted pine bonsai sits on a wooden bench to the left, and additional potted plants stand on shelves at right beside a lattice screen. The palette is soft and muted—pale indigo blues, dusty greens, and warm grey-browns—with a pale red sun or sunburst motif glowing behind the lantern and columns of calligraphy filling the upper portion of the composition. This color woodblock surimono, "Potted Plant (Ueki)" from Totoya Hokkei's series *Eighteen Illustrations of the Ladder of Ancient Words (Kogentei juhachiban tsuzuki)*, 1831, is in shikishiban format.