Rabbit in the Snow beneath the Moon 月下の兎

Rabbit in the Snow beneath the Moon 月下の兎

Katsushika Hokushū 葛飾北秀

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A white rabbit crouches in the snow beneath a silvery moon emerging from the clouds. A few buds and blossoms of plum are scattered nearby.This surimono (privately published woodblock print) was created to celebrate the first lunar month of spring of the year of the rabbit, 1819. The poet Chōkandō Harumichi 長閑堂春道 wrote a 31-syllable kyōka verse on the traditional poetic topic of snow, moon and flowers, and how they all appear together in this New Year’s scene: あわ雪の　いろに月花　照そひて おもしろきことの　そろう春かな The colors of the moon and blossoms shimmer in the light snow— what a delightful surprise for all to be arrayed this spring! (Trans. John T. Carpenter) The artist Hokushū became a pupil of the famous Katsushika Hokusai in the 1810s and was primarily active as a surimono illustrator and book illustrator. He also used the art names Joryūken 如柳軒, Joryū 如柳 (as in the seal here), and Taisōsha 戴藻舎 (recalling one of Hokusai’s art names, Taitō 戴斗).

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Rabbit in the Snow beneath the Moon 月下の兎Rabbit in the Snow beneath the Moon 月下の兎Rabbit in the Snow beneath the Moon 月下の兎Rabbit in the Snow beneath the Moon 月下の兎Rabbit in the Snow beneath the Moon 月下の兎

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.