japanese_art_catalog

Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Matthi Forrer
Surimono (literally ‘printed things’) constitute one of the most
delicate genres in Japanese printmaking. This genre fascinates
because it combines poetry and image and because it presents
a pictorial puzzle, which provides the viewer with a particular
insight into the intellectual and literary world of late 18th- and
early 19th-century Edo (today’s Tokyo). Major artists such as
Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kunisada, Totoya Hokkei and
Yashima Gakutei, to name but a few, provided imagery to
accompany the poetic exploits of poetry club members. The
prints were circulated among networks of poets and friends
and, in contrast to other prints of the period, were not produced
for commercial gain. Intricate still lifes, historical and mythical
heroes, actors on the stage and tranquil landscapes form a
visual partnership with the witty poems (kyōka). The beauty
of these prints is enhanced by the astonishing printing quality,
including the use of metallic pigments and blindprinting.
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is home to one of the most
important collections of surimono in the world. Two recent
major donations have enriched the collection to such a degree
that a publication documenting the complete surimono
holdings of the museum is justified. The true beauty of the
collection can now be appreciated in full, with all the prints
illustrated in colour for the first time.
Matthi Forrer’s deep understanding of poetry
circles and of the major artists of the time has
resulted in numerous revisions of the existing
descriptions and of previously established
chronologies within the genre.
Surimono_p011_026_Opmaak Surimono 2 (okt.) 27-10-12 19:55 Pagina 21
HOTEI PUBLISHING
23
BRILL’S JAPANESE ART CATALOG 2014
Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is thus
an essential work of reference and at the same
time a source of endless aesthetic enjoyment.
• December 2012
• ISBN 978 90 74 82240 4
• Cloth with dustjacket (332 pp.,
more than 600 color illus.)
• List price EUR 110.- / US$ 163.-
Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 21