Box with Cards for the Poem Card Game
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
5 3/4 x 7 1/2 in. (14.6 x 19.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP2193
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Ryūryūkyo Shinsai crafted this exquisite woodblock print titled *Box with Cards for the Poem Card Game*. Shinsai, a master of the ukiyo-e tradition, specialized in *surimono*—privately commissioned prints produced in small, luxurious editions for elite patrons, often to celebrate New Year's or literary gatherings. This intimate work, measuring just 5 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches, captures a wooden box brimming with poetic playing cards, evoking the refined pleasures of Japan's cultured leisure. The artwork highlights *uta-garuta*, a beloved poem car...
About the Artist
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai · 1799–1823
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (柳々居辰斎), active from 1799 to 1823, was a prominent Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker based in Edo (modern Tokyo), renowned for his mastery of surimono—luxurious, privately commissioned woodblock prints produced for elite poetry circles and New Year's celebrations. He began his training under Tawaraya Sōri before becoming a student of the legendary Katsushika Hokusai, from whom he recei...