Incense

A young woman with reddish brown hair looks out at the viewer with soft brown eyes and smiles. She wears a kimono decorated with flowing water, flying cranes, and stylized pines. Behind her, three vignetted figures wearing Heian period (794-1185) court attire emerge from black. The glowing presence of the girl, who is depicted with bright colors, pushes her forward into the present as the metallic gleam of the figures flicker in the dark past. This painting is an example of Nihonga (literally, Japanese-style painting), a distinct category that developed in opposition to Seiyōga (Western-style painting) in the Meji period.