Tea Things - Totoya Hokkei

A refined Japanese woodblock print by Totoya Hokkei, depicting a collection of tea ceremony objects with accompanying calligraphy.

This woodblock print by Totoya Hokkei belongs to the genre of surimono, which were privately commissioned prints often exchanged among members of poetry circles. Hokkei, a student of Katsushika Hokusai, demonstrates his technical mastery through the precise rendering of textures and the balanced composition of the objects depicted. The print features a collection of items associated with the tea ceremony, including a ceramic jar decorated with figures, a small cup, a tray, and a folded paper fan.

The composition is deliberately sparse, allowing the viewer to appreciate the individual qualities of each object. The artist employs a refined colour palette, using subtle washes of blue and earthy tones to suggest the material properties of ceramic, wood, and paper. The inclusion of calligraphic text surrounding the objects integrates the visual elements with the literary context of the commission, a common practice in surimono production.

Technically, the print exhibits the high standards of Edo-period printing, with clean lines and careful registration of the colour blocks. The depiction of the ceramic jar, with its miniature scene of figures, shows the artist's ability to work at a small scale while maintaining clarity. This work provides a glimpse into the aesthetic preferences of the literati in nineteenth-century Japan, where the appreciation of everyday objects was elevated through art and poetry. The print remains a fine example of the collaborative nature of Japanese printmaking, where the artist, carver, and printer worked in concert to produce a high-quality object for a discerning audience.