Lobster on a Piece of Charcoal

A red-orange lobster with long antennae and layered, spiny segmented armor lies diagonally across a black cylindrical piece of charcoal set against a plain cream background; a second, blue-grey charcoal log crosses beneath it near the lower left, its round end cut and radiating fine grain lines. The lobster's curled legs and claws drape over the charcoal's edge, and its fanned red tail extends toward the lower right corner. Dense columns of black calligraphic text fill the upper portion of the composition, with a small red seal near the artist's signature at lower right; the print is a surimono by Totoya Hokkei, 1780, in ink and color on paper.