Utagawa Kunisada 歌川国貞 (Toyokuni III)

Here Kunisada decided against depicting the seasonal change of clothing described in the traditional title associated with the second month. He instead chose to illustrate a group of women in beautiful robes, picnicking in a garden under flowering plum trees. Flowering plum is usually associated with the first month of the year.

Flowering plum is usually associated with the first month of the year, but here Kunisada forgoes depicting the “seasonal change of clothes” described in the month’s old literary title and instead chooses to illustrate plum for the second lunar month. Here a group of women picnic in a garden surrounded by beautiful flowering plum trees.

The lunar calendar begins with spring, which usually falls around the end of January or early February. These women are enjoying the second month of spring by picnicking under a flowering cherry tree, characteristic of the season.