Two Women Gathering Spring Herbs
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Doi Sadaichi
- Edition:
Koitsu's daytime landscapes and non-nocturnal scenes are less common on the primary market but still reflect his mastery of atmosphere and color. Values have risen steadily over the past decade.
This [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print by Tsuchiya Koitsu shows two women gathering spring herbs in the countryside. The activity of picking wild greens, known as nanakusa-tsumi, is a seasonal tradition tied to early spring in Japan, when young shoots emerge and families venture into fields and hillsides to collect edible plants. Koitsu renders the figures with a naturalism informed by his training under Kiyochika, placing them within a landscape softened by the fresh growth of the season. [Bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation in the sky and distant terrain establishes depth while keeping the foreground figures clearly defined. The subject links this print to the classical [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) tradition of depicting women in everyday activities, though Koitsu's approach emphasizes the landscape setting as much as the human figures within it.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Two Women Gathering Spring Herbs was created by Tsuchiya Koitsu (土屋光逸).
Two Women Gathering Spring Herbs uses Bokashi, on woodblock print.
Two Women Gathering Spring Herbs was published by Doi Sadaichi.
Two Women Gathering Spring Herbs depicts spring.
