Hokusai Birds and Flowers Tea Towel, Set of 2

<p><br /> <br /> Each design shows a beautiful woodblock print created by Katsushika Hokusai in about 1834. <br /> <br />One design is of a lesser cuckoo on the left and bush warbler on the right. This print can be found in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. <br /> <br />Inscribed at top left are two lines from a poem by the Southern Song dynasty poet Yang Wanli; 'A single cuckoo by day splits the mountain bamboo / with an initial cry upon first hearing about Du Yu'. <br /> <br /> Du Yu (AD 222-285) was a Chinese general of the Three Kingdoms period. Legend has it a cuckoo cried out at the time of his death. <br /> <br /> The other design is of a Mirabilis jalapa and a grosbeak. The grosbeak (a large bird) has a distinctive yellow beak. <br /> <br /> A Mirabilis jalapa (also called the four-o'clock flower, or marvel-of-Peru) is a native plant of tropical America. It is thought to have reached Japan via Holland, entering the country through the port of Nagasaki. <br /> <br /> This design includes a short verse (hokku) by a female poet named Yudai. It says 'Four-o'clock flowers / thrive on the far side of fences, / behind the peonies'.</p>

Exclusive to the British Museum, a set of two cotton tea towels featuring prints by Japanese woodblock artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849).

Each design shows a beautiful woodblock print created by Hokusai in about 1834.

About the design:

The print featured on the blue tea towel is called Hototogisu Satsuki (Lesser Cuckoo and Azalea), a copy of which is housed at the British Museum. Inscribed at the top left are two lines from a poem by the Southern Song Dynasty poet Yang Wanli:

“A single cuckoo by day splits the mountain bamboo / with an initial cry upon first hearing about Du Yu.”

Du Yu (222-285 AD) was a Chinese general of the Three Kingdoms period. Legend has it a cuckoo cried out at the time of his death.

The pink tea towel features a print titled Ikaru Oshiroi (Grosbeak and Mirabilis Jalapa), a copy of which is also housed at the British Museum. Mirabilis Jalapa, also known as the ‘four-o-clock flower’ or ‘Marvel of Peru’, is a plant native to South America. It is thought to have reached Japan via Holland, entering the country through the port of Nagaski. The script on this design is a hokku (short verse) by a female poet named Yudai. It reads:

“Four-o-clock flowers / thrive on the far side of fences / behind the peonies.”

These beautiful tea towels will be a delightful addition to any kitchen.