Artwork Page for The Shika Teahouse

Details / Information for The Shika Teahouse

The Shika Teahouse

しか茶屋

early 1790s

Utagawa Toyokuni 歌川 豊国

(Japanese, 1769–1825)
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Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
One of a triptych of color woodblock prints
Measurements
39.1 x 25.6 cm (15 3/8 x 10 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.1113.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Exotic birds and tobacco—Western imports—feature in this composition. Peacocks and parrots were brought to Japan by Dutch traders in the 1700s. Many of the visitors to this teahouse, which specialized in displays of foreign birds, admire the unusual fowl while sipping tea and smoking long pipes. The birds have attracted curious courtesans, entertainers, samurai, merchants and their wives, and even a Buddhist monk.
A vertically oriented color woodblock print depicts three women with light skin tones in a green teahouse courtyard. From left to right, one woman in a patterned kimono stands looking toward the center. Another in a dark robe kneels beside a small tray, looking up at a third woman in a plaid kimono. Behind them, smaller figures gather near a large wooden cage. Calligraphy appears on a post to our left.

The Shika Teahouse

early 1790s

Utagawa Toyokuni

(Japanese, 1769–1825)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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