Village on the Yoshino River, illustration for The Brocade Shell (Nishiki-gai), from the series "A Matching Game with Genroku-period Poem Shells (Genroku kasen kai awase)"
Medium
Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban
Dimensions
20.5 × 17.8 cm (8 1/8 × 7 1/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23538
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokus, the legendary Japanese artist renowned for his ukiyo-e woodblock prints like *The Great Wave off Kanag*, created *Village on the Yoshino* in 1821. This intimate color woodblock print served as an illustration for "The Brocade Shell (ishiki-gai)" in the series *A Matching with Genroku-period Poem Shells (Genroku kasen kai awase. Drawing from the traditional Japanese shell-matching game *kai-awase*, the series paired famous poems from the Genroku era (1688–1704)—a golden age of Edo-period literature—with evocative landscapes, blending poetry and visual artistry. Printed in the luxurious *surimono* format on shikishiban paper (20.5 × 17.8 cm), this piece features metallic pigments that add a shimmering, jewel-like quality, typical of privately commissioned prints for New Year's greetings or elite gatherings. Hokusai's masterful composition captures the serene Yoshino River village with dynamic lines, vibrant colors, and a keen sense of space, showcasing his innovative landscape techniques amid the ukiyo-e tradition of "pictures of the floating world." Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia department, this work highlights surimono's cultural role as high-end ephemera, celebrating Japan's poetic heritage and Hokusai's versatility beyond mass-produced prints. A delightful fusion of literature, nature, and craftsmanship, it invites viewers to ponder the harmony of word and image.
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...