The Old Couple from Takasago in Sunrise

This Art Institute of Chicago surimono depicts the legendary old couple of Takasago at sunrise - the elderly husband and wife whose union beneath the twin pines of Takasago and Suminoe represents one of the most enduring symbols of marital longevity in Japanese culture. Drawn from the no play Takasago and from earlier waka poetry, the old couple stand for the ideal of partners who grow old together in faithful companionship, and their image was a favorite for New Year, wedding, and anniversary surimono because of these auspicious associations. The sunrise element doubles the auspicious meaning, evoking renewal, the New Year's first light, and the dawn of new fortune. Hokkei renders the couple with affectionate dignity - the husband typically holding a rake, the wife a broom, attributes that represent their endless careful tending of the pine grove. The inscribed kyoka verses would have engaged the print's classical literary lineage and its connection to the specific occasion of its commission. The Art Institute's impression preserves the refined printing characteristic of Hokkei's most prestigious New Year and ceremonial surimono.