Shamisen and Rat

Arts of Asia

spring 1864

Imoto Rosui
Japanese, active mid-19th century

This New Year print comes from the year of the rat, as indicated by the rat climbing the neck of the shamisen, a musical instrument played by the geisha of the entertainment quarters. A bone plectrum, used to play such instruments, lies nearby in the silk wrapping in which it was carried.
The print was designed by the haiku poet and print designer Imoto Rosui, who may have depicted the New Year activities of a particular poetry group, including perhaps a visit by a geisha entertainer.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Asia

Artist: Imoto Rosui
Title: Shamisen and Rat
Place: Japan (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1864
Medium: Color woodblock print; surimono
Dimensions: 24.8 × 18 cm (9 13/16 × 7 1/8 in.)
Credit Line: Charles H. Mitchell Collection unrestricted gift
Reference Number: 1972.1795
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/43149/manifest.json

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.