Shōgi Chess Board, Chess Pieces and Spring Flowers in Blue-and-White Porcelain Pot/ Chess Pieces (Shōgi koma), from the series A Selection of Horses (Umazukushi), with poems by Shunshōtei Utsukushima and ShÅ«chōdō Monoyana Possibly 1822

Editor: This is Hokusai's "Shogi Chess Board, Chess Pieces and Spring Flowers," a woodblock print. It strikes me as a careful arrangement of leisure items and natural beauty. What stands out to you? Curator: The print reveals a fascinating interplay between art and everyday life. Notice how the craftsmanship elevates mundane objects. The materiality of the woodblock itself, the pigments used, the paper--each speaks to a process of production and consumption, blurring the lines between high art and craft. What does that suggest to you about Hokusai's world? Editor: That art wasn't so separated from everyday objects, but flowed in and out of life? I hadn't thought of it that way before. Curator: Precisely! The print invites us to consider the social context, the labor involved, and how these elements contribute to its artistic value. Editor: I'll definitely look at art differently now. Thanks!