Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shū), vol. 3: Swallows and Peonies
Surimono are privately published woodblock prints, usually commissioned by individual poets or poetry groups as a form of New Year’s greeting card. The poems, most commonly kyōka (witty thirty-one syllable verse), inscribed on the prints usually include felicitous imagery connected with spring, which in the lunar calendar begins on the first day of the first month. Themes of surimono are often erudite, frequently alluding to Japanese literary classics in both texts and images.
All four compositions on these leaves (JP2362–2365) come from the same set of prints, Six Bird-and-flower Prints for Utsunomiya in Shimotsuke Province (Kachō rokuban no uchi, Shimotsuke Utsunomiya). The series was commissioned by a branch of the Asakusa kyōka poetry group based in the city of Utsunomiya, north of Edo (present-day Tokyo). The artist Teisai Hokuba, an early pupil of the great ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai, was best known as a painter, but also occasionally created deluxe surimono commissions. Here, he demonstrated how painterly effects could be accomplished in the medium of woodblock printing by eliminating outlines and employing subtle use of gradated ink tones (accomplished by manual wiping the printing blocks).
All four compositions on these leaves (JP2362–2365) come from the same set of prints, Six Bird-and-flower Prints for Utsunomiya in Shimotsuke Province (Kachō rokuban no uchi, Shimotsuke Utsunomiya). The series was commissioned by a branch of the Asakusa kyōka poetry group based in the city of Utsunomiya, north of Edo (present-day Tokyo). The artist Teisai Hokuba, an early pupil of the great ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai, was best known as a painter, but also occasionally created deluxe surimono commissions. Here, he demonstrated how painterly effects could be accomplished in the medium of woodblock printing by eliminating outlines and employing subtle use of gradated ink tones (accomplished by manual wiping the printing blocks).
Artwork Details
- 摺物帖 『春雨集』 『花鳥六番之内 下野宇都宮』 牡丹に燕
- Title: Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shū), vol. 3: Swallows and Peonies
- Artist: Teisai Hokuba (Japanese, 1771–1844)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: ca. 1820
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Privately published woodblock prints (surimono) mounted in an album; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: 8 1/4 x 7 1/16 in. (21 x 17.9 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
- Object Number: JP2362
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Teisai Hokuba
19th century
Teisai Hokuba
Chou
early 19th century
Teisai Hokuba
Teisai Hokuba
Teisai Hokuba
Yuyu Hanko
19th century
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.