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.c
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 figures with light skin tones in a garden beside a building. Centrally, a figure stands wearing a black robe and pleated green garment, holding an orange fan. To the right, a woman in a patterned orange robe sits on a platform holding a long pipe. On the left, a youth kneels presenting a tea tray. Japanese calligraphy occupies the upper right corner, set against pine trees.

The Shika Teahouse

early 1790s

Utagawa Toyokuni

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

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