The first flowers to bloom in Japan each year are the plum blossoms, both red and white. They begin to appear in mid-February, a welcome sign of spring that sometimes comes while there is still snow on the ground, just in time for the New Year holiday by the old calendar.

In ancient times, the emperor’s courtiers listened eagerly for the first cry of the bush warbler on New Year’s morning and wrote waka poems in celebration. In this print, Hiroshige presents a modern haikai poem instead.

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