Flowers of Autumn [left of a pair of Flowers of Summer and Autumn] c. 17th century

Tawaraya Sōsetsu painted these 'Flowers of Autumn' with ink and color on paper, portraying a scene abundant with seasonal flora. Here, the bellflowers, or Kikyo, take center stage, their delicate forms rendered with a striking purity of color that echoes sentiments of ephemeral beauty. Consider the symbolic weight of flowers throughout history. In ancient Greece, we see floral motifs used in funerary wreaths, signifying cycles of life and death. Similarly, in Edo Japan, as depicted here, flowers were deeply intertwined with seasonal cycles and philosophical reflections on nature. Note how the Japanese morning glory, known as Asagao, is depicted. Unlike its Western counterpart, laden with Christian allusions to vanity, the Asagao embodies a quiet acceptance of transient beauty, a motif resonating with the deeper, subconscious appreciation of nature’s fleeting moments. Such imagery becomes a potent vehicle for cultural memory, a cyclical return to themes that engage us on a deeply personal level, subtly yet powerfully.