Mochi Making - Katsushika Hokusai

A delicate surimono woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai depicting two figures preparing traditional mochi rice cakes.

This woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai belongs to the genre of surimono, which were privately commissioned prints often exchanged among poets and connoisseurs. Unlike mass-produced commercial prints, surimono utilised high-quality paper and sophisticated printing techniques, such as metallic pigments and embossing, to achieve a refined aesthetic. This specific work depicts two figures engaged in the traditional preparation of mochi, a rice cake essential to Japanese New Year celebrations. The figures are rendered with Hokusai's characteristic attention to posture and movement, their long, flowing hair providing a sense of dynamic energy against the stark, negative space of the composition.

The inclusion of calligraphic text is a defining feature of the surimono format. The poem integrated into the design complements the visual subject, linking the physical act of pounding rice with the seasonal atmosphere of the New Year. The balance between the sparse, elegant figures and the vertical columns of kanji creates a harmonious arrangement typical of the Edo period's literary circles. Hokusai, who was active during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, demonstrated a mastery of both line and composition in these smaller, intimate works. The print captures a moment of domestic activity, elevated through the medium of the woodblock into a piece of graphic art. The muted colour palette, focused on the deep red of the hair and the subtle blue of the garments, allows the viewer to focus on the interaction between the two figures and the heavy, rounded form of the mortar. This print provides a glimpse into the cultural practices of the time, preserved through the technical precision of the Japanese woodblock tradition.