Rising Sun and Cock and Hen
ca. 1800
Medium
Part of an album of woodblock prints (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
7 1/8 x 6 5/8 in. (18.1 x 16.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP2309
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Rising Sun and Cock and Hen by Totoya Hokkei created around 1800, captures a vibrant moment of dawn in Edo-period Japan (1615–1868). This intimate woodblock print, part of a surimono album—specially commissioned luxury prints often produced for New Year's celebrations or poetry gatherings—features a rooster and hen amid a radiant rising sun. Measuring just 7 1/8 x 6 5/8 inches, its small scale invited close appreciation, showcasing Hokkei's mastery of ukiyo-e techniques with vivid ink and color on paper. Surimono like this one were elite art forms, distinct from mass-produced prints due to ...
About the Artist
Totoya Hokkei · 1780–1850
Totoya Hokkei (魚屋 北渓, 1780–1850), born Iwakubo Tatsuyuki in Edo (modern Tokyo), began his life as a humble fishmonger in the Yotsuya Samegahashi district, a trade reflected in his art name "Totoya," meaning fish shop. He transitioned to art through rigorous training, first studying under Kanō Yōsen'in Korenobu, head of the Kobikichō branch of the prestigious Kanō school, where he honed landscape p...