Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (Momoyogusa), vols. 1–3

1909–10

Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (Momoyogusa), vols. 1–3, 1909–10. Kamisaka Sekka (Japanese, 1866–1942). Set of three woodblock printed folding-books; ink, color, gold, and silver on paper; sheet: 29.9 x 22.1 cm (11 3/4 x 8 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1988.23 This set of three woodblock printed folding-books displays the graphic design prowess of Kamisaka Sekka. The images were first distributed one by one to subscribers to the series but later were reissued in bound form, like these books, for mass consumers. Each print features a vignette taken from nature or Japanese literature. Many of the scenes have a long history in Japan, originating in the 900s or 1000s and having been interpreted by all manner of artists since that time. Sekka’s selections hew closely to precedents from the Rinpa style originated by painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu (c. 1570–c. 1640) and calligrapher Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558–1637).