Morning Glories and Finch

Part of the fascination for flowers among the Japanese during the Edo period (1600-1868) was their newly developed expertise in cultivating hybrid varieties. They created many new strains of morning glories in the 19th century, and publishers were quick to release books illustrating their exotic colors and blossom shapes. The poem that Hiroshige included with this print suggests this proliferation: The morning glories blossom with the sun__ with the sun.