Hokusai 北斎: Silver Hair Ornaments and Shibori Tie-dye Surimono

Artist: Katsushika Hokusai 北斎 (1760-1849)Title: Silver Hair Ornaments and Shibori Tie-Dye Surimono  Date: ca. early 1820s Silver hairpins in the shape of intertwined cranes are shown partially wrapped in their folded paper wrappers. Beneath them we see a third hairpin in the shape of plum blossom clusters; this hairpin lies in its translucent tissue, and the printers have effectively conveyed this near-impossible visual overlay. Mounding like mini-mountains in the background are puckered silk tie-dyed fabric that was used to create volume in complex hairstyles. This tie-dye process is known as kanoko shibori, and each pucker is the result of a carefully wrapped string that was applied before immersion in the dye bath. These luxurious hair ornaments would have been worn by high-ranking courtesans and their attendants, especially during the New Year celebrations. The poems have been translated by Carpenter as follows: “As the gate is decked out/ with bamboo and pine,/ a young maiden wear