{"product_id":"tai-fish-and-lobster-specialities-of-yanagiya-in-odawara-cho-totoya-hokkei","title":"Tai Fish and Lobster; Specialities of Yanagiya in Odawara-cho - Totoya Hokkei","description":"\u003cp\u003eA refined surimono woodblock print by Totoya Hokkei, featuring a sea bream and lobster with elegant calligraphy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis woodblock print by Totoya Hokkei belongs to the genre of surimono, which were privately commissioned prints often distributed among members of poetry clubs. Hokkei, a pupil of Katsushika Hokusai, was highly regarded for his technical skill in this medium. The work depicts a sea bream (tai) and a spiny lobster, presented as a culinary speciality from the Yanagiya shop in the Odawara-cho district of Edo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition is restrained and elegant. The fish and crustacean occupy the lower portion of the frame, leaving ample negative space above for the inclusion of calligraphic text. The artist employs a delicate line quality to define the scales of the fish and the textured shell of the lobster. The colour palette is muted, relying on subtle gradations of grey, brown, and soft ochre to suggest the natural appearance of the subjects. This approach reflects the aesthetic preferences of the literati circles for whom such prints were produced, valuing understated refinement over the bold, saturated colours found in commercial theatre or landscape prints of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSurimono prints frequently incorporated poems, as seen here, which relate to the subject matter or the occasion of the commission. The integration of text and image is balanced, with the calligraphy providing a rhythmic counterpoint to the organic forms of the sea life. The print demonstrates the high level of craftsmanship involved in the Edo-period woodblock process, particularly in the use of fine-grained paper and the precise registration of colour blocks. It offers a glimpse into the sophisticated urban culture of nineteenth-century Japan, where food, poetry, and visual art intersected in the daily lives of the merchant and artisan classes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin-top:2rem;padding-top:1.5rem;border-top:1px solid #e5e5e5;\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:0.85rem;color:#888;font-weight:600;margin:0 0 0.75rem;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.05em;\"\u003eYou might also like\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:0.5rem;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/en-nz\/products\/woman-with-book-sitting-next-to-a-new-year-pull-toy-totoya-hokkei\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#2a555a;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003eWoman with book sitting next to a New Year pull toy by Totoya Hokkei\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/en-nz\/products\/poetry-slips-katsukawa-shunei\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#2a555a;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003ePoetry Slips by Katsukawa Shun'ei\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/en-nz\/collections\/hokkei\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#2a555a;border:1px solid #2a555a;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#ffffff;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003eHokkei prints →\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hokkei","offers":[{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ Small Square (30x30 cm) \/ -","offer_id":59462324257103,"sku":null,"price":120.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ Medium Square (40x40 cm) \/ -","offer_id":59462344147279,"sku":null,"price":170.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ Large Square (50x50 cm) \/ -","offer_id":59462344180047,"sku":null,"price":180.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ Small Square (30x30 cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":59462344212815,"sku":null,"price":250.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ Small Square (30x30 cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":59462344245583,"sku":null,"price":250.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ Small Square (30x30 cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":59462344278351,"sku":null,"price":250.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ Medium Square (40x40 cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":59462344311119,"sku":null,"price":560.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ Medium Square (40x40 cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":59462344343887,"sku":null,"price":560.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ Medium Square (40x40 cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":59462344376655,"sku":null,"price":560.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ Large Square (50x50 cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":59462344409423,"sku":null,"price":570.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ Large Square (50x50 cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":59462344442191,"sku":null,"price":570.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0833\/9292\/1935\/files\/Tai-Fish-and-Lobster-Specialities-of-Yanagiya-in-Odawara-cho_Poster_CompositorV1_1792126256723.jpg?v=1794359779","url":"https:\/\/www.solisprints.com\/en-nz\/products\/tai-fish-and-lobster-specialities-of-yanagiya-in-odawara-cho-totoya-hokkei","provider":"Solis Prints","version":"1.0","type":"link"}