Bamboo Circles with Cherry and Bamboo

Bamboo Circles with Cherry and Bamboo

The  pattern picked out in the background, as if stitched, is gengiko, a marker used in an aristocratic game of incense identification.

Small 'Meiji' Size — Typical dimensions of small 'Meiji' type are 7.75” x 13.5” or 8.75” x 13.5”

Dark Ground Composition — in a dark ground stencil, the page is dark and lines and forms are cut away to appear light in the printing.

Silk Reinforcement — this stencil is reinforced with silk threads woven specifically to this pattern inserted between two sheets of carved paper.

Subject — flora

Keywords — cherry, graphic line, key motif, meiji, punched x, rich textures, silk, stylized wood