Season's Transitions: Toki no Utsuri-gusa This is a collection of essays written by Fumiko Ii for the Japanese confectionery shop Taneya. I purchased it nearly 20 years ago at Taneya Himure no Sato. The cover has slight discoloration and stains, but otherwise, it is in good condition. From the Taneya website: Fumiko Ii was born in Kōjimachi, Tokyo in 1917. Her father, Marquis Naomasa, was the grandson of Shō Tai, the last king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, making her his great-granddaughter. In 1930, at the age of 14, she became a disciple of the poet Nobutsuna Sasaki. From 1952, she began writing free-form colloquial tanka (short poems) that were not bound by traditional forms. She married into the Ii family of Hikone in 1937. Later, in 1953, she moved to Ohama Goten (the former Hikone clan's Matsubara Shimoyashiki) on the shores of Lake Biwa, where she spent her later years. Taneya's connection with Fumiko Ii, who left behind many works as a poet and essayist, began in 1987. "We want to add a beautiful 'Japanese spirit' that touches the hearts of our customers to our Japanese confectionery," said Chairman Tokuji Yamamoto, and he asked her to write for them. She wrote tanka and essays for over 15 years, until 2003.