Minneapolis Institute of Art

Flower Thief

Katsushika Hokusai; Publisher: Tsutaya Jūzaburō

Date

c. 1790

Medium

Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The play Flower Thief is about a samurai and his not very capable attendant. During an excursion to enjoy cherry blossoms, the samurai breaks off a small flowering branch to take home. A thief appears and snatches the spray from him. The samurai orders his attendant to retrieve it, but time and again, the thief outsmarts the attendant. The play includes many comical exchanges between the irritated samurai, his dim-witted attendant, and the sly thief. For this print, Hokusai depicted a scene in which the attendant tries to make a rope so that he can tie-up the thief, who is being held down by his master. The facial features of each man convey the comical nature of the play. Japan, Asia

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