Waka Poem by Jien: Ōtomo no Kuronushi and the Cherry Blossom Spirit of Komachi, from the series Ogura Imitations of One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets (Ogura Nazorae Hyakunin-Isshu)

Ogura Nazorae Hyakunin-Isshu was a series of prints published in Edo between 1845 and 1848. The project reinterpreted the classical anthology Ogura Hyakunin-Isshu by associating each waka poem with scenes drawn from the popular culture of the day—especially well-known stories and kabuki pieces. As its title suggests, the series consisted of one hundred prints, depicted by leading ukiyo-e artists including Utagawa Kunisada, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
This work pairs a poem by the Buddhist priest and poet Jien (1155–1225) with a scene from the kabuki play Tsumoru Koi Yuki no Sekinoto.

Tsumoru Koi Yuki no Sekinoto premiered in 1784 at the Kiri-za Theatre in Edo (present-day Tokyo) and is regarded as one of the masterpieces of kabuki-buyō (dance). The original performance featured the celebrated onnagata actor Segawa Kikunojō III (1751–1810), who was then considered unrivaled in both popularity and artistic skill. The play continued to be performed throughout the Edo period, and it is known today as a work in which a comparatively large portion of the original choreography has been preserved. The great twentieth-century onnagata Nakamura Utaemon VI is recorded to have performed the piece based on the choreography transmitted through Fujiko Fujima.