The exact provenance of Women in Seasons of Snow, Moon, and Flowers by Katsukawa Shunsho is not publicly documented. The painting is presently associated with the MOA Museum of Art in Atami, Japan, where it appears in the museum’s digital and Google Art Project collections.
Katsukawa Shunsho was a leading painter and printmaker during the Edo-period who specialized in the ukiyo-e style. He came to Edo to study haiku, poetry, and painting under Miyagawa Shunsui. Shunsho was originally in the Torii School, but broke away to pursue a more individualistic and realistic style using which he established the Katsukawa School of Art. His name is connected to many other famous ukiyo-e artists such as Shuncho, Shunko, Shunei, and Shunro (Hokusai) who were indeed his students. The word "shun" connects these artists to the Katsukawa school. Shunsho is also famously known for developing the new form of yukusa-e. These were prints depicting Kabuki actors. A large number of his paintings still exist, majority of which portray beautiful women, known as bijin, in scenic views.
One such artwork is named as "Women in seasons of snow, moon, and flowers". Snow, moon, and flowers (setsu-getsu-ka or setsu-gekka) is a elegant Japanese expression and theme in art and design which emerged in the late Edo-period and is used as a metonym for enchanting scenic and natural elements. One similar thematic painting is done by Sakai Hoitsu named "Snow, Moon, Flowers". This expression emerged from a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi. This combination of three themes usually refers to the three seasons of a year: snow refers to Winter, moon refers to Autumn, and flowers refer to Spring. Ukiyo-e artists, like Shunsho, preferred to sell hanging scrolls in a series of three which depicted women, or combined a landscape. In this threefold painting scroll three women are seen in various ways. From left to right we have Sei Shonagon (winter), Murasaki Shikibu (autumn), and Ono no Kamochi (spring). These women were authors, novelist, poets, court lady, and even lady-in-waiting during the Heian era. Having authored famous manuscripts like The Pillow Book, The Tale of Genji, or being one of the best six waka poets (Rokkasen), respectively, these women were no ordinary beings devoid of fame and historical significance.
Katsukawa likely chose these remarkable women due to their idealization of feminine elegance, literary refinement, beauty, and seasonal emotion in Japanese culture. Each women embodies not only a season, but a different emotional, historical, and cultural background.
Women in Seasons of Snow, Moon, and Flowers is a reflection of Japanese cultural ideals. The painting presents women as symbols of elegance, literature, and seasonal beauty. By connecting each woman to a season, the artist shows how nature and human emotions are deeply linked in Japanese art. However, the women are also idealized figures, represented more as symbols of grace and refinement than as real individuals. This reflects how Edo-period art often celebrated feminine beauty in a stylized and controlled manner. The painting combines history, poetry, and nature, creating a calm and sophisticated atmosphere while preserving cultural memory through visual storytelling.
