Daughter Miyuki

The woman in this painting is Akizuki Miyuki, the heroine of the Joruri drama “Sho-utsushi Asagao-banashi.” In this story Miyuki was attacked by a bandit while gazing at fireflies. She was saved by a man named Miyagi Asojiro before the bandit was able to assault her. Then the two fell in love and Asojiro sent Miyuki a fan with poetry written on it expressing his love for her. This painting depicts Miyuki looking at the fan and thinking about her love Asojiro. Miyuki turns around, feeling that somebody is coming and she quickly hides the fan under her sleeve. Her behavior is typical of a young, naïve, woman falling in love. This is one of Shoen’s masterpiece works of the Taisho Era.