Art Institute of Chicago

Smoking Dragon

Moriki Rosetsu

Date

1868

Medium

Color woodblock print; surimono

Culture

Japan

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This is a witty New Year’s image of an ash container of a smoking set ( tabakobon ). The ash from a pipe was usually knocked out and placed in a bamboo tube that formed a part of the smoking set. As such, this tube typically emitted a small trail of smoke. In the imagination of the artist, the tube held a fire-breathing dragon, emitting smoke from its mouth and lurking just inside.

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