A refined surimono woodblock print by Totoya Hokkei, depicting an artist conjuring a dragon through her craft.

This surimono print by Totoya Hokkei depicts a female artist engaged in the act of painting. The composition centres on the figure, who holds a brush to a fan, while a spectral dragon emerges from the smoke of her ink preparation. Hokkei, a student of Hokusai, demonstrates his mastery of the surimono format: a genre of privately commissioned, luxury woodblock prints often exchanged among poets and artists. These works typically feature high-quality paper, metallic pigments, and delicate embossing, intended for a sophisticated audience.

The artist is shown in a domestic interior, surrounded by the tools of her trade: a box of pigments, a water bowl, and scrolls. The inclusion of the dragon, rendered in swirling, calligraphic lines, suggests a theme of creative inspiration or the manifestation of artistic vision. The figure wears a patterned kimono, and the surrounding space is balanced by a screen featuring a plum blossom motif. The text inscribed in the upper right corner provides a poetic context, common in surimono, which often combined visual art with kyoka, or comic verse.

Technically, the print exhibits the refined aesthetic associated with the Edo period. The line quality is precise, allowing for the subtle rendering of the dragon's form against the negative space. The colour palette is restrained, relying on muted tones to maintain the focus on the narrative action. As a work of surimono, this piece reflects the collaborative nature of Japanese print culture, where the artist, poet, and publisher worked in close coordination. The print remains a fine example of the technical capabilities of nineteenth-century woodblock printing, capturing a moment of quiet concentration within a fantastical atmosphere.