British Museum

☁ “Spring breezes and spring rains assail his lovely form... why does he seem so lost in thought, like a beautiful woman...?” 🌧 So reads the poem written above Katsushika Hokusai’s beautifully detailed and elegantly restrained silk scroll painting of a young man. It depicts a beautiful youth wearing a sword and dressed in a feminine-looking blue kimono with long, flowing sleeves decorated with white cherry blossoms 🌸 The poem is addressed to ‘young Sessen’ – the young man who is clearly much admired by the (male) speaker. The poet was likely also a patron of Hokusai and commissioned this artwork to give to the object of his affections 💌 Together, the painting and poem convey a sense of the young man’s beauty and an atmosphere of sophisticated romance and delicate passion. #Japan #Art #Hokusai #Pride