Asano's rendering of traditional mochi-pounding captures a quintessentially Japanese New Year custom with lively composition and warm tones. Genre scenes like this are scarce in his output, which makes them appealing to collectors who want something beyond his landscapes. Prices generally range from $200-$500, representing solid value for a culturally rich subject.
Rice Cake Making — the preparation of mochi — captures a scene of communal domestic labor that was both practically important and deeply embedded in Japanese seasonal and ceremonial life. The traditional method of mochi-making, in which glutinous rice is pounded in a large wooden mortar (usu) with long-handled mallets (kine), required coordinated effort and created a vivid spectacle of physical exertion and rhythmic sound. Asano's rendering situates this everyday ceremony within the broader world of traditional Japanese life that his prints documented alongside the more celebrated architectural and natural subjects.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Rice Cake Making was created by Takeji Asano (浅野竹二).
Rice Cake Making uses Bokashi, Nishiki-e, and Moku-hanga, on woodblock print.
Rice Cake Making was published by Unsodo.
Rice Cake Making depicts craftspeople, food & drink, and daily life.
