Irises at Horikiri

In the foreground three large irises bloom toward the sky among slender leaves. Beyond them the iris fields spread out, purple and white flowers scattered across them, with sightseers visible as small figures. A blue waterway crosses the foreground, and behind the grove a red band of sunset can be seen. The soft purple of the petals is expressed through gradation.

The contrast between the large flowers and the small distant ones conveys the breadth of the iris fields. The combination of pale blue sky, green leaves, and pale purple petals conveys the cool air of early summer.

Horikiri was a farming village in Katsushika, where irises came to be cultivated in the latter half of the Edo period, and iris gardens that raised many varieties became famous. In early summer visitors from Edo are said to have come to see them. A story also survives that the shogun stopped by on a falconry outing, and the place became widely known as a famous iris site.

This print belongs to the summer section, and its censor's seal dates it to the intercalary fifth month of Ansei 4 (1857). Drawing flowers large in the foreground is the same technique used in "Plum Garden at Kameido," and impressively portrays famous seasonal flower sites.