Yamauba Surimono

by Hokkei (1780 - 1850)

Current Status

Yamauba Surimono by Hokkei (1780 - 1850)

Hokkei (1780 - 1850) Japanese Woodblock Reprint
Yamauba Surimono

Series; Mountain after Mountain

Surimono - Surimono are an exclusive subcategory of Japanese woodblock prints. Poetry clubs commissioned these designs for distribution to a small audience of members, most often as New Year's greetings. These privately published images included a wonderful range of subjects and lavish printing techniques such as embossing, burnishing, and metallic pigments. Since surimono were not sold commercially, the print runs were very small and original Edo era surimono are incredibly rare in the market today. These fine quality suriomono reprints offer a great way to collect these classic designs at an affordable price.

Yamauba Surimono - A dramatic design from ancient legend of Yamauba, the wild woman of the mountains who raised the orphan hero Kintaro. She wears tattered robes covered with leaves, and leans against a pile of large boulders. The poems above read:

Come springtime,
over her garment of leaves,
the mountain crone
will surely drape a robe sewn
from patches of mist-brocade
-Seiyokan Umeyo

Noticing in spring
that the limbs of her only child
are growing longer,
the mountain crone feels
moved to laugh for joy
-Sanzuntei Kusami

A fantastic image from this famous subject of folklore.

Artist - Hokkei (1780 - 1850)

Image Size - 8 3/8" x 7"

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Paper remnant on reverse at side from previous album inclusion. Slight toning. Some prints have slight soiling at edges, or a few spots or creases. Please see photos for details. Generally in good condition overall.

Yamauba Surimono by Hokkei (1780 - 1850)
Yamauba Surimono by Hokkei (1780 - 1850)