Rising Sun and Cock and Hen

Art Historical Context

**Rising Sun and Cock and Hen by Totoya Hokkei created around 1800, captures a vibrant moment of dawn in Edo-period Japan (1615–1868). This intimate woodblock print, part of a surimono album—specially commissioned luxury prints often produced for New Year's celebrations or poetry gatherings—features a rooster and hen amid a radiant rising sun. Measuring just 7 1/8 x 6 5/8 inches, its small scale invited close appreciation, showcasing Hokkei's mastery of ukiyo-e techniques with vivid ink and color on paper. Surimono like this one were elite art forms, distinct from mass-produced prints due to their high-quality carving, embossing, and metallic accents (though not specified here, typical of the genre). Hokkei, a pupil of the famed Katsushika Hokusai, excelled in depicting nature with precise, lively details—the rooster's proud crow likely symbolizing renewal and vigilance, echoing Japan's "Land of the Rising Sun" motif. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's H. O. Havemeyer Collection, it reflects the global fascination with Japanese prints in the late 19th century. This piece invites visitors to ponder everyday symbols elevated to poetic beauty, blending whimsy with cultural resonance in the bustling world of Edo artistry.

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...