Lady in Carriage Viewing Cherry Blossoms

An extremely refined group of women are on an outing in the countryside to view cherry blossoms, whose color has sadly faded in this print. The scene mixes allusions to the aristocratic world of the long Heian Period (794–1185) with a contemporary style. Nobility of the Heian court traveled in lavish oxcarts much like the one seen here, and the woman within it is dressed in the style of that era, indicated most clearly by her long, straight hair. She may be a princess; the imperial court maintains Heian styles of dress for formal occasions. The other women wear more contemporary fashions and hairstyles.

Elegant outings to view flowers and write poetry, however, are much in keeping with Heian tradition. Here, the woman in the oxcart presents a poem on a slip of paper, which her maid politely receives, not by hand, but on an open fan she offers. At the far left, another poem slip is being hung on a tree.