When I adapt a scene into Ukiyo-e, I usually translate all the scene's elements into an 1800s Edo period style.
However, for this particular print I decided to work in the modern Shin-hanga style, which is known for its realism and much more complex color schemes.
Because of this, I did not adapt the design of the robot's armor. Instead I wanted to focus on the anachronism between a futuristic mobile suit walking though a 19th century pastoral scene. The contrast is quite stunning I think!
The top cartouche reads 可動鎧 - and the furigana (tiny characters next to the kanji) literally say "mobile suit".
The bottom cartouche says 幾度とり払われるとも止めどなく花をうえつづけるぞ, which means, "No matter how many times they get wiped away, we will never stop replanting the flowers."
The red seal in the top-right area is actually a kanji created by the Japanese calligrapher Monyaizumi. If you look closely, it resembles something...
