風流無くてななくせ|Squeaking a Ground Cherry, from the series Seven Fashionable Useless Habits (Furyu nakute nana kuse)

Art Historical Context

In this delightful woodblock print from around 1798, Katsushika Hokusai captures a whimsical moment titled *Squeaking a Ground Cherry*, part of his series *Seven Fashionable Useless Habits* (*Furyū nakute nana kuse*). The image likely depicts a stylish woman playfully squeezing a ground cherry (hōzuki)—a lantern-like fruit—to produce a squeaky sound, embodying one of seven trendy yet delightfully pointless pastimes popular among Edo-period women. Hokusai, a master of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), here showcases his early flair for satire and everyday elegance during Japan's vibrant Edo period (1615–1868). Created as a color woodblock print on paper (14 5/16 x 9 3/4 in.), the work highlights the collaborative genius of ukiyo-e production: Hokusai's precise designs were carved into wooden blocks, inked, and printed in layers to achieve vivid hues and subtle gradients. This affordable medium made art accessible to the masses, reflecting urban Japan's obsession with fashion, theater, and fleeting pleasures. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art Department (Rogers Fund, 1922), this print offers a window into late 18th-century Japanese culture, where such "useless" habits symbolized refined leisure. Though predating Hokusai's iconic *Great Wave*, it reveals his lifelong talent for blending humor, beauty, and social observation.

About the Artist

Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...