Hokkei: Surimono titled Reverence (Uyamai) (Sold)

Artist: Totoya Hokkei
Title: Reverence (Uyamai)
Series: The Ladder of Old Words in the Series of Eighteen (kogentei jûhachiban tsuzuki)
Date: 1831

One of eighteen pieces of New Year Surimono (saitan-surimono). In front of the shrine entrance two shrine servants with eboshi hats are receiving the offerings from a farmer and merchants: a sea bream and scallops from a fisherman, a basket of rice balls, and radishes from an old farmer. On the right straw sacks of rice are piled under the snow. In the cartouche the title “uyamai “ in hiragana on black, originally hiragana in silver and its Chinese character on white. According Keyes the first chracter of hiragana “u” refers to “u” sign of the year i.e. a hare year (1831) . The name of the series “Kogentei,” a ladder of old words is written in red with a swastika (turning leftward) which is the emblem of Katsushika club. Three poems accompany the scene: Hiôgi Kaname refers to carrying offerings and wind carrying plum fragrance in the snowy New Year; Chikusôan Suzume composes piles of offerings on the snow and singing of nightingale as announcement of New Year. Shinsuitei Umaki refers to the snow-covered piles of offerings with Mt. Fuji in snow.

Dimensions: Shikishiban
Literature: “Surimono” Museun fur Ostasiatische Kunst, Berlin,1990. Kat. No. 39
Signature: Hokkei

SKU: HKI013