Two Boys and a Screen - Yashima Gakutei

A refined Japanese surimono woodblock print by Yashima Gakutei, featuring two boys seated before a decorative screen with a wave motif.

This woodblock print by Yashima Gakutei belongs to the genre of surimono, which were privately commissioned works often exchanged among poets and artists. These prints are characterised by their high production quality, frequently employing metallic pigments, embossing, and fine paper. Gakutei, a student of Totoya Hokkei and Katsushika Hokusai, was a master of this refined format.

The composition features two young boys seated before a folding screen. The screen depicts a stylised wave, a motif that echoes the power of the natural world within a domestic setting. The boys wear patterned kimono, rendered with precise detail. The inclusion of calligraphy on the left side of the print indicates its connection to a specific literary or social circle, as surimono were typically produced for poetry clubs to celebrate special occasions or the new year.

Technically, the print demonstrates the sophisticated colour-printing techniques of the Edo period. The palette is balanced, using muted greens, browns, and soft blues to create a sense of harmony. The lines are thin and controlled, typical of the surimono style, which prioritised elegance and technical perfection over the more dramatic, mass-produced commercial prints of the era. The figures are depicted with a calm, formal posture, reflecting the refined social context in which these works were shared. The interplay between the flat, decorative surface of the screen and the three-dimensional presence of the figures creates a balanced visual experience. This work provides a glimpse into the cultural life of the Japanese literati during the early nineteenth century, where art, poetry, and social exchange were closely linked.