Ryūryūkyo Shinsai 柳々居辰斎

Lobster and Cup

Maker

Ryūryūkyo Shinsai 柳々居辰斎 (Japanese, Active in Edo 1799-1820)

Title

Lobster and Cup

Period

Edo Period

Year

1820s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink and color

Supports

Geography

Origin: Japan

Dimensions

Shikishiban: 21.3 x 18.7 cm (8 3/8 x 7 3/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of George Pierce Metcalf

Object Number

56.039.21

Type

Exhibition History

Eating in Edo
Apr 01, 2023 – Oct 08, 2023

Label copy

New Year’s celebrations were occasions for much feasting. Staples were foods with auspicious names, made from ingredients that symbolically ensured longevity and good health. In this print, a lobster’s shell becomes a platter holding fish cakes and mushrooms. The spiny lobster (ise ebi) was and still is a much-coveted delicacy. Harvested off the coast of Japan, it has a lifespan of 20 years, making it a symbol for longevity. A sake cup decorated with the character for longevity (寿) complements the lobster arrangement.

Prints for the Japanese New Year
Dec 17, 2010 – Apr 17, 2011

Label copy

The red boiled lobster (ebi) is shown here along with other traditional New Year’s symbols, including a pine branch, a straw bundle, and a mirror. The lobster tail is filled with boxed delicacies for the day’s celebration. The character on the plate is the word for long life, su.

Surimono from Osaka and Edo
The Pumpelly Album
May 23, 2008 – Oct 05, 2008

Label copy

The character in the plate is the word for long life (su).

Marking the Occasion
The Japanese Tradition of Surimono
Feb 03, 2006 – May 28, 2006

Label copy

Red boiled lobsters (ebi), set out with other New Year’s foods, were used as ornamental decorations for the holiday. The character in the plate is the word for long life (su).

Marking the Occasion
Surimono from Edo and Osaka
Sep 15, 2000 – Dec 03, 2000

Label copy

Red boiled lobsters, set out with other New Year’s foods, were used as ornamental decorations for the holiday. The character in the plate is the word for long life (su).

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Ryūryūkyo Shinsai 柳々居辰斎 (Japanese, Active in Edo 1799-1820)
Lobster and Cup, 1820s
Polychrome woodblock print
Shikishiban: 21.3 x 18.7 cm (8 3/8 x 7 3/8 inches)
Gift of George Pierce Metcalf 56.039.21

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.