Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bitter Melon

Dodo Kōnen

Date

1825

Medium

Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bearing a distinctive warty fruit in October, bitter melon is traditionally associated with autumn in Japanese poetry. When fully ripe, the fruit cracks and reveals pink flesh, as depicted here. Even though the fruit is edible, bitter melon was enjoyed mostly for its ornamental yellow flowers during the Edo period (1615-1868). The poetry society Sakuramonren commissioned this print to publish its members' haiku poems, and twenty-three verses describing the beauty of autumn appear on the print. The artist Dodo Hirotoshi cleverly integrated text and image by having the melon's long vine surround the verses. Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.