Clock and Beauty III (Bonbon Clock)
Ito Shinsui Catalogue

Clock and Beauty III (Bonbon Clock) - Ito Shinsui Catalogue woodblock print
Artist
Ito Shinsui 伊東深水
English title
Clock and Beauty III (Bonbon Clock)
Japanese title
ボンボン時計
Series
Hotta Clock commission 堀田時計店版
Date
Medium
Colour woodblock print on paper
Paper size (h × w)
Oban 大判
35.5 × 27.5 cm
Image size (h × w)
34.5 × 26.0 cm
First edition seal
No publisher seal
Subsequent seals
Edition size
Open
Posthumously printed
No
Publisher
Watanabe Shozaburo 渡邊庄三郎
Carver
Printer
Subjects
Bijin-ga 美人画
Remarks
In 1967 (Showa 42), to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the founding of the Hotta Watch Shop, we commissioned artist Ito Shinsui to create the third work in the Clocks and Beauties series, "Bonbon Clock." As the name suggests, a "bonbon clock" is a wall clock equipped with a striking mechanism that chimes the hour and half hour. It was so named because of the "bonbon" sound it makes. The bonbon clock painted by Ito is a so-called "octagonal clock," with an octagonal frame surrounding the dial. Octagonal clocks have been installed in post offices all over the country since 1874 (Meiji 7), and it is said that people came from far away to see them because they could tell the exact time and were rare. Initially, they were mainly imported from the United States, but eventually domestic production began, mainly in Aichi Prefecture. The first to succeed in this was in 1887 at Nagoya watch dealer Hayashi Ichibei Shoten (later Tokimorisha/Hayashi Watch Factory), and Ryosuke Hotta, the founder of Hotta Watch Store, joined Hayashi Ichibei Shoten in 1874 (Meiji 7). The octagonal clock depicted in the background of the print is said to be the oldest wall clock made in Japan, produced by the Hayashi Watch Factory owned by Ryohei Hotta. In other words, the octagonal clock is a symbol of the enlightenment and early Japanese clocks, and was also the origin of Hotta Co., Ltd. By the way, Ryosuke Hotta became independent in 1879 (Meiji 12) and founded a watch wholesale and retail business in Nagoya. In 1897 (Meiji 30), he imported 8-day winding wall clocks from Ansonia and Aizeki in the United States, assembled them in homemade cases, and sold them. It is likely that artist Ito used the "bonbon clock" owned by the Hotta family as a model for his painting, taking these historical facts into consideration. Also, unlike the previous two works, the depiction of the woman has changed from the ukiyo-e style to a more realistic and modern brushstroke. The woman's hairstyle is thought to be the Shimada hairstyle, which was common from the Edo to Meiji periods, and she wears a single red coral hairpin, giving her a casual and elegant look.
Catalogue number
IS146
Supplementary images