Folded Surimono with Kite
Nakajima Raishô
1850s
Medium
Color woodblock print; surimono
Dimensions
25.5 × 18.9 cm (10 1/16 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
43092
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Folded surimono prints were often discarded and do not survive in museum collections. Like many prints they weren’t valued as works of high art in Japan, and perhaps weren’t popular among Western collectors of Japanese prints in the 19th century. The designer of this print, Nakajima Raisho, was also the host of the gathering on paper, and he included his own poem by the image of the rising kite. Here the kite is a symbol for the New Year, as kite flying was a common activity at that time. It wa...