Looking inquisitive - Fuzoku Sanjuniso 1888

This woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi depicts a woman in a pink kimono adorned with morning glories. These delicate blossoms, known as "asagao" in Japanese, open at dawn and symbolize fleeting beauty and the ephemeral nature of life, echoing the "mono no aware," the pathos of things. The morning glory motif finds distant relatives in the floral decorations of Minoan frescoes, or even in the fleeting beauty captured in a Pre-Raphaelite painting. Yet, in Japanese culture, this flower carries a particular weight. It reminds me of how Botticelli repurposed classical forms in the Renaissance. The morning glory, too, resurfaces, carrying echoes of past sentiments into the present. Consider also how such a seemingly simple image evokes a profound sense of longing, a melancholic beauty engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. The cyclical progression of symbols like the morning glory highlight how it resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings, connecting different eras.