Hydrangea Garden, Outskirts of Odawara at Evening

Hydrangea flowers mass in deep blue and violet along a garden path on the outskirts of Odawara, the blooms almost overwhelming the scene in their abundance at this evening hour in Yuhan Ito's print. Ito was drawn to the seasonal drama of flowering plants, and hydrangeas — at their peak in the rainy season — offered an unusual palette of cool purples and blues that contrasted with the warm tones of his Fuji and sky compositions. The outskirts of the castle town of Odawara provided rural garden settings that still lay within reach of Tokyo-based printmaking culture.