Introduced in the early 17th century, the telescope was used for both astronomical study and popular amusement. The circular patterns on its casing indicate that the print was produced for the Asakusa-gawa poetry club, whose leader, Asakusa-an Ichihito, contributed the second poem on this print. Both poems invoke the image of the spring cherry blossoms lying next to the telescope. The first describes the scattered petals viewed in the early morning while returning drunk from a party, the second the power of a daimyo’s procession to command even the wind that blows the blossoms.

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