The painting depicts the legendary Aki of the Genroku era (1688-1703), the daughter of a well-known Nihonbashi sweet shop owner, and a student of the haiku poet Takarai Kikakku. Her haiku name was Shushikjo (lit. 'autumn colored lady'). At the age of thirteen, while attending cherry blossom viewing at Ueno, Aki was struck by the somewhat reckless party-like atmosphere and wrote a poem on a tanzaku slip which she tied to a branch of a cherry tree.
idobata no
sakura abunashi
sakeno yoi
jeopardized
by drunkards
the cherry tree at the well
The poem caught the attention of a temple abbot, Kokanho Shinno (a son of the Emperor Higashiyama [1675-1710]), who was surprised to discover it was written by a young girl.
