Morning Glory, early 19th century, Watanabe Nangaku, Japanese, 1767 - 1831, 24 5/16 × 40 9/16 in. (61.75 × 103.03 cm) (image)47 9/16 × 46 7/8 in. (120.81 × 119.06 cm) (mount, without roller), Ink and colors on paper, Japan, 19th century, In Japan, morning glories are called asagao, or 'face of the morning,' in reference to the fleeting beauty of a womans face in the morning. The plant was originally brought to Japan from China as medicine, but the beauty of their blooms soon captivated aristocrats, who wrote poems about the flower. In the 1800s, morning glories became popular among casual and professional gardeners who actively bred them for natural mutations.