The artist Tanaka Shosai may have painted a Tête-à-tête daffodil along the length of the paper. Only the flowers are depicted with thin, light black lines, starting from the seed pod, after which only the centers of the flowers are painted yellow. The leaves and stem of the plant are applied to the paper with large green brushstrokes, creating a highly painterly effect. Flowers, plants, and trees are an important source of inspiration for poets and painters in Japan. Hanakotoba, or the Japanese language of flowers, is an ancient custom that assigns symbolic meaning to various flowers to express feelings and thoughts without using words. Each flower in the hanakotoba has a special connotation, often connected to its physical characteristics, color, and the season in which it blooms. The daffodil arrived in Japan from southwestern Europe via China around 1100 (Heian period). Because it is not a native flower, it does not appear in Japanese classical literature, and therefore it has acquired a Western symbolic meaning, representing vanity and selfishness. Today, the flower is also seen as a symbol of new beginnings, namely a new season, spring. Tanaka Shôsai studied with Suzuki Shônen (1849-1918).