55 Chikanobu Yōshū 1838 – 1912 Harima, Moon over Akashi – Miyuki and Miyagi

from the series Edo no hana – yuki, tsuki, hana (“Flowers of Edo – Snow, Moon and Blossoms”)
publisher: Matsuki Heikichi (Marks 7–557)

This elegant design illustrates a poignant episode from the classic romance Asagao nikki (“Diary of a Morning Glory”).
The beauty Miyuki stands on the deck of a boat, gazing at her lover Miyagi’s departing ship, the fan with the morning glory emblem still in her hand — a symbol of fleeting love and faithfulness.
Beside her, an older woman gestures toward the fading vessel as mist drifts before the glowing full moon over Akashi Bay.

The upper cartouche depicts Miyagi surrounded by morning glories, looking down upon his beloved. The scene captures the moment of separation that defines their tragic story — before blindness and time part them, and fate reunites them through music years later.

Rendered with subtle bokashi gradations, refined aniline hues, and graceful linework, this triptych exemplifies Chikanobu’s late-Meiji synthesis of classical sentiment and modern pictorial elegance, making it one of the most evocative prints from the series Snow, Moon, and Flowers.