Fish and Bamboo

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This is a depiction of a nabeka, a saltwater fish that lives in the shallows by the coast, and bamboo plumes, which were an autumnal gourmet treat. As such, they are a tasty symbol of the season and are used in communal feasts in fine restaurants. As in Shoki Banner , Kiitsu is the host of this group. The other members of the group, however, are different, indicating that Kiitsu must have been the leader of multiple groups in the Osaka region and was perhaps active as a poetry teacher. The artist Maezawa Ohtei designed numerous surimono in the 1850s and 1860s and was probably a popular designer for poetry groups at the time.

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