Two Men Wearing Green Coats, also Straw Hats with Brown Bows

Art Historical Context

In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Yashima Gaki crafted *Two Men Wearing Green Co, also Straw Hats with Brown Bows*, a delicate woodblock print known as a *surimono*. This format, measuring just 7 7/8 x 6 1/3 inches, was typically commissioned for private occasions like New Year's greetings or poetry gatherings. Gakutei, an Osaka-based artist renowned for his refined ukiyo-e style, captured two men in matching green coats and straw hats with brown bows, ev a sense of camaraderie and everyday elegance amid Japan's urban culture. Surimono prints like this one elevated woodblock printing beyond mass-produced ukiyo-e, employing luxurious techniques such as vibrant inks, subtle embossing, and sometimes mica for a shimmering effect on paper. Gakutei's precise lines and harmonious colors highlight the men's poised figures, reflecting the period's fascination with fashion and social roles. These prints often doubled as poetic invitations, blending art with literature in elite circles. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art Department (Seymour Fund, 1981), this work offers a window into Edo Japan's refined aesthetics, where humble subjects like straw-hatted men became emblems of cultural poise and seasonal joy.

About the Artist

Yashima Gakutei · 1786–1868

Yashima Gakutei (c. 1786–1868), born in Osaka as the illegitimate son of a Tokugawa shogunate samurai named Hirata, adopted the name from his mother's subsequent marriage into the Yashima clan. Little is documented about his early years beyond these familial ties, but he pursued artistic training under the esteemed ukiyo-e masters Totoya Hokkei and Katsushika Hokusai, absorbing their precision in ...