Collection Online as of September 26, 2023
The Shika Teahouse
しか茶屋
Part of a set. See all set records
Utagawa Toyokuni 歌川 豊国
(Japanese, 1769–1825)
(1615–1868)
One of a triptych of color woodblock prints
39.2 x 26.4 cm (15 7/16 x 10 3/8 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.1113.b
Location
not on view
Description
Exotic birds and tobacco—Western imports—feature in this composition. Peacocks and parrots were brought to Japan by Dutch traders in the 1700s. Many of the visitors to this teahouse, which specialized in displays of foreign birds, admire the unusual fowl while sipping tea and smoking long pipes. The birds have attracted curious courtesans, entertainers, samurai, merchants and their wives, and even a Buddhist monk.