清方は幼い頃に、自宅のある京橋区木挽町(こびきちょう)から明石町へよく散歩に出かけていました。外国人居留地の明石町は異国情緒が色濃く漂い、異人館の庭に咲く紫陽花に清方は魅了されました。さらに愛読した泉鏡花の小説からも紫陽花に興味をもち、長じて画家となると、別号として「紫陽花舎(あじさいのや)」を好んで用いました。本作品の印章にもこの号がみられます。

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Hydrangeas (ca. 1955)
pale color on paper; hanging scroll
28.5 x 41.6 cm

As a child, Kiyokata would walk from his home in Kobiki-chō, Kyobashi-ku, to Akashi-chō, an area where many foreigners lived. The atmosphere in Akashi-chō was exotic, and Kiyokata was fascinated by the hydrangeas (ajisai) that blossomed in the gardens of the foreigners. He also developed an interest in hydrangeas from reading the novels of Izumi Kyōka, a favorite pastime. When he became a painter, he intentionally chose Ajisai-no-ya for his nom de plume, which is the stamp he has used to authenticate this work.