Some of the first polychrome prints, or nishiki-e, were calendars commissioned during the late 18th century by wealthy patrons in Edo (now Tokyo), where it was customary to exchange them as gifts at the beginning of the year. Honoring that practice—as well as the art of Japanese woodblock printing, which existed in Japan as early as the 8th century—this 2024 cloth-bound monthly calendar features 12 stunning works created in Japan during the 18th and 19th centuries, and now in The Met collection.