poet and plum tree, Ryūryūkyo Shinsai

Archive Label date unknown: These three prints are examples of surimono, privately published woodblock prints popular in Japan in the early 1800s. Most surimono were commissioned by poets as New Year's gifts for their friends. The prints celebrated the return of spring and the renewal of life at the beginning of the year. The right print depicts a dancer's costume, the robe of which lies folded in a lacquer tray and the crown of which sits on a small table. The crown is adorned with a tiger figurine, symbol of a Tiger Year. With the verse to the left, the figurine refers to the first month of the year, a time when the tiger and the dragon befriend one another, bringing peace and prosperity in the coming spring. The middle print is from a series of six square surimono that were to be placed side by side and viewed like a pair of six-fold screens. The right side of the sheet shows the moon within the branches of a plum tree, while the left one shows a poet viewing the moon. The verses at the top of each recall the scent of the plum and the fragrance of the moon in spring. Such fragrances are also suggested in the print on the left. A tea whisk and tea scoop rest beside a miniature flowering plum tree, perhaps hinting at the mingling of scents in the spring air. Archive Label date unknown: This picture is from a series of six surimono which were meant to be placed side by side and viewed like a pair of six-fold screens. The border of the screen is decorated with the emblem of the poetry group which commissioned the set.