An Elegant Series of Amulet Paintings (Furyu nanatsume e awase): Rabbit and Cock n.d.

Editor: This is "An Elegant Series of Amulet Paintings (Furyu nanatsume e awase): Rabbit and Cock" by Tamagawa Shūchō. It’s undated, but it's a woodblock print, which gives it a unique, almost graphic feel. The subject matter feels intimate but also a little distant, and I'm curious about its layers of symbolism and technique. How do you interpret this work? Curator: For me, the real interest lies in the material process and its connection to social context. Think about woodblock printing. It's not just a single artist creating a singular piece; it's a whole system. There's the artist, certainly, but also the carvers who translate the image onto the wood, and the printers who apply the ink and paper. Consider also the commodification inherent in ukiyo-e prints: these images weren't meant for palace walls; they were for everyday consumption. This changes how we approach the notion of the artwork as rarefied art. Editor: That's interesting, reframing it as less about individual genius and more about a kind of collaborative manufacturing process! Does that perspective shift how we see the subject matter, too? Curator: Absolutely. The choice of a fashionable woman alongside symbols like the rabbit and cock speaks volumes about consumer culture and social aspirations. How does the print itself – the very labor embedded within it – contribute to the scene? Is it reflecting social mores or is it a commentary? The fact that it’s a “series” also signals something about production and audience desire. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it's true. Seeing it as a product of collaborative labor really changes my understanding and pushes beyond the surface aesthetics. Thank you. Curator: Indeed, examining the print’s creation and context alongside its imagery invites questions regarding what is communicated about its original viewers.