The Shika Teahouse
1794
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Utagawa Toyokuni I
Toyokuni was a born showman who made sure the energy of Edo’s kabuki stage never faded on paper.
See the richer artist page1794
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Shika Teahouse is a 1794 by Utagawa Toyokuni I, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows people at a teahouse, looking at exotic birds. The teahouse is a special place where people can see foreign birds. These birds were brought to Japan by Dutch traders, which is interesting because it shows how different cultures were interacting. You can learn more about Japanese art from the same time period by looking at the work of artist Utagawa Toyokuni (Japanese, 1769–1825).
Exotic birds and tobacco—Western imports—feature in this composition. Peacocks and parrots were brought to Japan by Dutch traders in the 1700s. Many of the visitors to this teahouse, which specialized in displays of foreign birds, admire the unusual fowl while sipping tea and smoking long pipes. The birds have attracted curious courtesans, entertainers, samurai, merchants and their wives, and even a Buddhist monk.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Toyokuni was a born showman who made sure the energy of Edo’s kabuki stage never faded on paper.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
![南四季 夏景|The Four Seasons in Southern Edo: A Summer Scene (Minami shiki; Natsu [no] kei)](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/de8110e8ab2ddcb5/thumb.webp)
