abata Kihachi III (1877–1956) received his training in painting from ‘kacho-e’ painting master Kono Bairei (1844–1895), and later took over his father’s textile dyeing business. He would go on to become highly skilled and widely recognised for his particular craft. In 1955, Tabata was the first craftsman involved in textile dyeing to be designated as a Living National Treasure of Japan. This book reproduces numerous sketches that Tabata made while he was studying painting under Kono, a period when the young man was honing his art. He observed plants and flowers with great attention, and carefully depicted them in realistic, exacting detail.