Art Institute of Chicago

Folded Surimono with Kite

Nakajima Raisho

Date

1850s

Medium

Color woodblock print; surimono

Culture

Japan

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Folded surimono prints were often discarded and do not survive in museum collections. Like many prints they weren’t valued as works of high art in Japan, and perhaps weren’t popular among Western collectors of Japanese prints in the 19th century. The designer of this print, Nakajima Raisho, was also the host of the gathering on paper, and he included his own poem by the image of the rising kite. Here the kite is a symbol for the New Year, as kite flying was a common activity at that time. It was possible to create a complex print from printing on one piece of paper and then folding it in fourths. They were folded for easy transport and handing out, and it was enjoyable to see the design revealed part by part as it was unfolded.

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