79 - Hokkei: The Sumida River in Musashi Province

Hokkei: The Sumida River in Musashi Province

Totoya Hokkei (1780-1850) created this print, The Sumida River in Musashi Province. A fine design by a grossly underrated artist.

Sumida River flows through Tokyo. The river and its many bridges are popular motives in ukiyo-e.

49 - Hokkei: Urashima Tarō Going Home on the Back of a Tai Fish

Hokkei: Urashima Tarō Going Home on the Back of a Tai Fish

This is a surimono by Totoya Hokkei, showing Urashima Tarō Going Home on the Back of a Tai Fish - the Emperor of the Sea Seeing Him Off.

Urashima Tarō is a figure in a Japanese legend. He saves a turtle, which shows to be the daughter of the Emperor of the Sea, Ryūjin. The Emperor wants to thank him, so he is taken to the Palace of the Dragon God at the bottom of the sea, where he meets the Emperor and his daughter, now the princess Otohime. When he is permitted to return home to see his aged mother, 300 years have passed - and when he opens a box Otohime gave him but forbade him to open, he suddenly ages. The box contained "his old age".

There are several different versions of the tale.

32 - Hokkei: En'ryû zu - The salt dragon

Hokkei: En'ryû zu - The salt dragon

This is a surimono by Totoya Hokkei (1780–1850), one of Hokusai's students. The exact year when this print was produced is unknown, but one can assume that it was made for The Year of the Dragon, and that would give us two alternatives, 1820 and 1832.

The print shows a salt dragon. The poem on the left hand side at the top was written by Ganjotei Hakuyo.

Hokkei is a versatile and interesting ukiyo-e artist. Skilled and clearly inspired by his master, Hokusai, yet he remained highly individualistic.