Sun over Musashi Plain

This image of the sun rising over a flat plain covered by the “seven grasses”—symbols of autumn—would have been appropriate décor for a samurai dwelling. North of Edo (now part of modern Tokyo) the Musashi plain was cherished for its wild grasses and flowers. It offered a distinctive landscape devoid of mountains or the sea in the distance. Poets in Japan began writing about this region where one could see the sun or moon rise majestically from the horizon. Today, the plain is filled with highways and apartment blocks, but the memory of this place remains a touchstone in Japanese art and culture.