Early Spring — 早春

Titled "Early Spring" (soshun), this print captures the transitional moment when winter releases its grip and the first signs of the new season begin to appear. Shoen depicts a woman whose clothing and bearing mark the shift: heavier winter garments may be giving way to lighter layers, and the colors in her kimono likely reference early-blooming flowers or the pale greens of first growth. Shoen was meticulous about seasonal accuracy in her subjects' dress, consulting kimono pattern books and textile references to ensure that every element of the garment matched the indicated time of year. The "early spring" designation places the scene in February or early March by the old calendar, a period the Japanese aesthetic tradition treats as poignant for its mixture of lingering cold and nascent warmth. The figure's expression and posture convey this seasonal ambiguity.