Moronobu was one of the first great ukiyo-e masters. He likely first studied under his father, a brocade artisan, in the provinces, but he later traveled to Edo and became an ukiyo-e artist, most likely under the so-called Kambun Master (his name is unknown). Moronobu's first dated works are from 1672, and already reveal a command of the visual form; they include an illustrated book similar to this one. After the exit of the Kambun Master, Moronobu became the preeminent ukiyo-e artist of Edo until his own death two decades later. His numerous illustrated works include novels, verse anthologies, guidebooks, plays, courtesan critiques, kimono pattern books, shun-ga texts and albums, and ukiyo-e picture books.

Moronobu's artistic importance lies in his consolidation of the ephemeral styles of early genre painting and illustration, thereby effectively creating the Ukiyo-e School. His powerful brushstrokes and dynamic figures complemented the woodblock medium, and proved highly influential with the ukiyo-e artists who followed him. His style was perpetuated by his many disciples, including Kiyonobu I and Masanobu.

This print appears to be one of those copies, although its exact details remain obscure; the left-hand figure in this print is an exact copy of one of those images, of the courtesan Kogenda. The original book was hand-coloured, unlike this black-and-white image.

This particular print was produced from different blocks from the copy of this print in the Art Institute of Chicago; that print is also black-and-white, whereas this one has tan-e hand-colouring. This may be a later (albeit antique) reproduction, or it may be one of the copies which were common at this stage of ukiyo-e.

Born in to an actor father, Kiyonobu was the founder of the Torii school of ukiyo-e artists, which was to dominate the field of Japanese woodblock prints in the early 1700s. Modeling his work after Moronobu, under whom he studied when he moved to Edo in 1687, Kiyonobu promoted a sense of action through stylized poses. Throughout the 1690s he illustrated novels and plays, and his prints can be recognized by dramatic exaggeration, black coloring, and decorative kimonos that sometimes overpower the scene. He was an expert in erotic shunga prints and in particular the Kabuki billboards which became the family monopoly. (Even today, Kabuki signboards are painted by members of the Torii family.) Kiyonobu's large scale illustrations and full size actor prints date from around 1700; his later style evolved into works that were quieter and smaller.

Note: For those who wish to examine a full-sized image of this print, one is available here.

Haribako-e were a very ephemeral fashion; they appeared in the late 1720s, and after the early 1730s they were seen no more. The subjects were usually landscapes with small figures, but other subjects, such as Genji are also encountered; the latter continued a long tradition of decorating domestic objects with Genji-related imagery. Most, including this example, are produced using the hand-coloured urushi-e technique, although some also had areas of metallic power applied.

This print, which depicts farmers loading and carrying rice, clearly belongs to a series about the four seasons, but the artist and exact series title are as yet unknown, because there were on part of the print which has been trimmed off. There is a series in hosoban format by Kiyomasu II, 'Shiki no Hyakushō (Four Seasons of the Farmer)', from which the Winter scene shows many very marked similarities to this print, so it is likely this that print is from a haribako-e series of the same name by Kiyomasu II.