The Cave Door of Spring
1825
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Totoya Hokkei
Totoya Hokkei (魚屋 北渓; 1780–1850) was a Japanese artist best known for his prints in the ukiyo-e style.
See the richer artist page1825
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Cave Door of Spring is a 1825 by Totoya Hokkei, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows a scene with a cave and a woman. It's based on a story about the deity Amaterasu. She was offended and hid in a cave, causing darkness. The story is from Japanese mythology. The artist used this myth to create a unique scene. The details in the painting show the moment Amaterasu is lured out. You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of artist: Totoya Hokkei (Japanese, 1780–1850)
These prints form a composition inspired by a story about the deity Amaterasu. She was once so offended by her brother that she retreated into a cave, leaving the earth in darkness. Several attempts to lure her out with cocks crowing, music-making, and a goddess dancing failed, but a mirror hung from a nearby tree made Amaterasu curious, bringing her to the entrance of the cave. A stone was quickly placed at the entrance to block her way back into the cave, and light was restored to the world. The scene across the prints is unified by embossed clouds enriched with gold, silver, and copper.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Totoya Hokkei (魚屋 北渓; 1780–1850) was a Japanese artist best known for his prints in the ukiyo-e style.
See the richer artist page
