EIGHTEEN OLD ADDAGES, TAKING GIFTS TO THE TEMPLE 

Curator: Let’s consider "Eighteen Old Addages, Taking Gifts to the Temple," a captivating woodblock print. It's categorized as Ukiyo-e, an important genre of Japanese art. What’s your immediate response? Editor: The labor involved jumps out. Look at those figures straining under heavy burdens, navigating the steep steps. It feels...grueling. I'm curious about the division of labor represented. Curator: It certainly evokes a sense of physical exertion! This image captures a specific moment in time but also represents universal themes of devotion and community. Consider the eighteen addages, now lost to time, but undoubtedly contributing to a richer context of meaning for viewers of that era. We glimpse cultural values, expressed here through visual symbolism. Editor: Symbolism layered onto observable acts of physical labor. Note how the artist directs our eye—the repetition of bent postures creates rhythm. I find myself thinking about the social structures in play, who produces and who receives, how integral acts of making and giving are in the communities reflected in such work. What materials make up their loads? It feels very grounded in material reality. Curator: It underscores the continuous interplay between tangible offerings and intangible faith, and perhaps reflects the burdens we all carry, whether physical or spiritual. Consider how temples operated in these communities, beyond only spaces of faith. Editor: True, religious institutions also served crucial economic functions, central to the flow of goods. Looking again at the individuals ascending those steps, laden with gifts…I keep thinking about how the artist captures a society in motion through depicting common material interactions, the sweat and struggle inherent in sustaining it. Curator: Precisely, Toyota Hokkei provides a vivid reminder that devotion manifests in practical, laborious ways. A society's beliefs reflected and upheld in these transactions. Editor: Ultimately, a testament to art's capacity to portray both the sacred and the incredibly tangible work needed to manifest and maintain devotion in society. A fascinating glimpse into those pasts.