Object data
nishikie, with metallic pigments and blindprinting
height 208 mm × width 130 mm
Ryûryûkyo Shinsai
Two Women Playing with a Child
Japan, Japan, 1807
Provenance
…; purchased from the dealer Hotei Japanese Prints, Leiden, by J.H.W. Goslings (1943-2011), Epse, near Deventer, 1991;1 by whom donated to the museum, 1991
Object number: RP-P-1991-677
Credit line: Gift of J.H.W. Goslings, Epse
Copyright: Public domain
The artist
Ryuryukyo Shinsai (n.d., but often given as 1764?-1820; the latter date is definitely incorrect as his last known designs were issued in 1825) is said to have first been follower of Tawaraya Sori, and later of Katsushika Hokusai, who gave him the art-name Shinsai in 1800. His personal name was Masayuki. He was one of the most prolific designers of surimono in the early 19th century and thoroughly explored the possibilities of issuing works in titled series.
Entry
Two women playing with a young boy. One of them stands behind him and pulls up his headscarf so that it resembles the ears of a hare; the other kneels before him and holds up a small mortar, which he pounds with a pestle.
The elements included in this print obviously refer to the legend of the hare that lives on the moon, pounding the Elixir of Long Life.
One poem, by Nezame [Yasuki], which inspired the designer to create a literal interpretation, reads:
Pulling and stretching, the boy's hood gets ears as long as this New Hare Year's Spring.
Issued by the poet
Signature reading: Shinsai ga
Literature
M. Forrer, Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Leiden 2013, no. 144
Citation
M. Forrer, 2013, 'Ryûryûkyo Shinsai, Two Women Playing with a Child, Japan, 1807', in Surimono from the Goslings Collection in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.363068
(accessed 27 November 2024 07:39:01).