Gathering Persimmons

Persimmons are tasty, red fruits that ripen in late fall and into the winter. This lively scene shows a group of stylishly dressed young women accompanied by a young man (wakashū) on a fall outing to gather the fruits. The pair at the far left use a tool to hook a branch, pulling it down for easier access. One of them, however, still needs to stand on tip-toe to reach. At the far right, one woman hoists up a smaller one. At the center, the young man has climbed the tree to pick a branch, which he hands down. The two women below him cover their mouths in amusement at this animated spectacle.