鈴木春信画「風俗四季歌仙 立春」

A young man with a sword tucked into his sash looks up at a young woman in the doorway as he gestures toward a bitter-orange (daidai) tree in the garden. The artist puns on a classical poem by Fujiwara no Shunzei (1114–1204) that refers to opening the gates of the heavens (ama no to) by showing a young woman opening rain shutters (amado). The poem reads:

Ama no to no

akuru keshiki mo,

shizuka nite

kumoi yori koso

haru wa tachikere

As the gates of

heavens open, quietly

a splendid scene appears

as spring arrives from

the palace of the clouds.

—Trans. John T. Carpenter

Credit: Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939