Lush and sensual, ukiyo-e paintings of the eighteenth century idealized beauty, placing courtesans and young women in indoor and outdoor seasonal settings. Shunshō—an Edo bon vivant, painter, and print designer-was renowned for his facility in depicting actors and beautiful women. This early summer picture depicts a young woman from a good family standing under a willow tree. The poem at the top, composed and inscribed by Fūdo, a kyoka (satirical poem) poet, reads: The willows would leaf in profusion in an answer to the water's invitation.
