A bijin-ga by Suzuki Harunobu depicting a dreamlike scene: beneath a white plum tree releasing its fragrance into the dark of night, a directed light causes the blossoms and the beauty to emerge vividly from the shadows. The soft whites—left as the natural tone of the washi for the woman’s skin and the plum blossoms—stand out beautifully against the monochrome ink background. Karazuri Embossing Printing is applied to the white areas of the kimono, adding a refined tactile quality and underscoring the work’s meticulous craftsmanship.

The boldly applied black background brings into relief the figure of a woman emerging from the darkness, gently offering a light as if drawn by the fragrance of white plum blossoms. The scene evokes a quiet, dreamlike atmosphere.

At Adachi, sumi ink is first soaked in a water-filled jar, then carefully ground in a mortar to produce an ink of exceptionally fine particles and a rich, lustrous quality.
The matte black background seen in Harunobu’s works is achieved through this time-intensive and attentive process of ink preparation.