Description
In the 1880s publishers took earlier surimono designs and printed them in a number of small edition sets. These prints were sometimes sold to the early Western travelers to Japan. Like the original impressions of these designs, these surimono were exquisitely printed with elaborate embellishments.
About the artist
Hokkei Totoya was an ukiyo-e artist working in Edo during the 19th century. He began his artistic education under Yosen'in Kano before becoming one of Hokusai's most accomplished students. While Hokkei produced only a small number of single sheet prints during his career, he was a prolific illustrator and an surimono artist. Between the 1820s and 1830s, he produced hundreds of surimono designs. Literally "printed thing," surimono were lavishly printed, privately commissioned pairings of poetry and image. Hokkei Totoya's ukiyo-e surimono illustrations and prints are featured in collections such as the Museum of Modern Art New York, the British Museum and Musée Guimet.