Right Team, Round One: Jeweled Branch

This print was commissioned by a private poetry society to commemorate the New Year. Since they were lavishly funded and for only limited distribution to the society's members, print designers and printers devoted special care to their production. Here, a man holds a branch decorated with colored balls made from rice gluten. Since the balls resemble cocoons, the decoration serves as a talisman for the successful hatching of the coming year's silkworm cocoons. The artist's careful attention to detail can also be seen in his depiction of the woman's outfit. While her outer robe has simple white stripes against dark blue, her inner robe is elaborately patterned with multiple colors.