On January 25, a group of us had the opportunity to go behind the scenes in the Ashmolean Surimono Poetry Prints exhibition. Surimono (literally ‘printed objects’) is a type of woodblock print, privately commissioned, to celebrate events such as the new year, the cherry blossom, or birthdays. These prints, the curator told us, functioned like greeting cards and were exchanged among the learned elite. Because they were privately commissioned and not for the market the level of craftsmanship is superb and the coloring and details exquisite. While a modern non-Japanese speaking audience like us appreciated the art work, the curator informed us that the poetry filled with literary allusions was really the prized artistic form. At any rate, these fine prints and the opportunity to see them up-close gave all of us a wonderful taste of art from Japan.
