Surimono

Introduction

Most well-known ukiyo-e prints, such as those in Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji or Utagawa Hiroshige’s Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road, were produced commercially to be sold. Meanwhile, other woodblock prints were being produced as private editions. Known as surimono (literally “printed things”), these were distributed among groups of connoisseurs to mark the New Year or other seasonal juncture, to announce the adoption of a new name, or to publicize a song or dance recital. Ukiyo-e artists were commissioned to produce such made-to-order woodblock prints.
Produced in only limited numbers, surimono are perhaps less familiar to us today than prints from other genres. Nevertheless, because they were made without concern for commercial profit, many employed advanced carving or printing techniques such as blind embossing or printing with metallic pigments and have an appeal that sets them apart from commercial ukiyo-e prints.
Hokusai produced a relatively large number of surimono over the course of his long career as an artist but was especially focused on the form during the period when he used the art name Sōri. At that time, Hokusai deepened his relationships with writers of kyōka (short comic verse) and produced many kyōka surimono in which his artwork accompanied their poems. Although often hidden in the shadow of paintings and colorful nishiki-e prints, surimono are certainly a realm of Hokusai’s work that cannot be ignored. The collection of the Hokusai‑kan Museum includes numerous surimono by Hokusai and his students, many of which are kyōka surimono from Hokusai’s Sōri period.
This exhibition delves into the fascinating world of surimono by looking at some examples from our collection, and we hope you enjoy the glimpse into the private world of Edo circles of connoisseurship that these images provide.