Nobleman and court lady boating at night near a snow-covered shore

Art Historical Context

Discover the enchanting *Nobleman and Court Boating at Night near Snow-Covered Shore*, a 6 color woodblock print by Totoya Hok. This delicate shikishiban surono—measuring just 20 × 18.1 cm—captures intimate winter scene: an elegant nobleman and court drift in a boat under the moonlit sky, their silhouettes framed by a pristine, snow-draped shore Hokkei, a prominent ukiyo-e artist and pupil of Katsushika Hokusai, masterfully evokes the poetic tranquility of Japan's Edo-period "floating world." Printed during the late Edo era (1603–1868), this work exemplifies surimono, privately commissioned w...

About the Artist

Totoya Hokkei · 1780–1850

Totoya Hokkei (魚屋 北渓, 1780–1850), born Iwakubo Tatsuyuki in Edo (modern Tokyo), began his life as a humble fishmonger in the Yotsuya Samegahashi district, a trade reflected in his art name "Totoya," meaning fish shop. He transitioned to art through rigorous training, first studying under Kanō Yōsen'in Korenobu, head of the Kobikichō branch of the prestigious Kanō school, where he honed landscape p...