Takemoto-School Surimono

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

During the late 18th century, Japanese culture was strongly influenced by Chinese traditions, such as the steeped-tea ceremony ( sencha ) illustrated here, and the demand for Chinese-style rituals increased tremendously. Intellectuals, samurai, well-educated townspeople, and artists came to advocate sencha , partly as a reaction against the conventionalism of chanoyu system. Large-scale production of the objects used in the ceremony, often based on imported Chinese objects, accompanied the growing interest in the sencha . Here Nagayama Kien depicted typical objects used in the sencha ceremony. This is a memorial surimono for the 50-year anniversary of the death of the Takemoto school gidayu chanter Takemoto Sakidayu I (died 1779). Sakidayu worked as a chanter in Osaka and Kyoto Kabuki theaters. This print was commissioned by Machi and Yotsu Sakidayu and their family to celebrate their grandfather.

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