['Sôjô with an Elephant', 'The ignorant seekers'] c. 1821

Editor: Here we have Totoya Hokkei’s woodblock print, "Sōjō with an Elephant," from around 1821. The image of this massive, almost ethereal elephant crammed into a small boat with those tiny figures feels… well, almost absurd. It’s so dreamlike. What sort of significance do you find in this work? Curator: The elephant itself is heavy with symbolism, isn’t it? Historically, the white elephant represented purity, gentleness, and auspicious power, frequently associated with royalty and Buddhism. Placed within the Ukiyo-e tradition, though, the symbolic meaning of the animal changes slightly. Editor: How so? Curator: Well, Hokkei lived during a period when very few Japanese had ever seen an elephant. The animal might carry with it not just holiness and royal power, but the power of *foreignness* in general, along with everything that such foreignness can be made to stand for. A link to the outside world; commerce; cultural change. The boat could stand in for the Buddhist's vehicle for deliverance from suffering, which makes me wonder what sorts of psychological projection are at play with Hokkei and his viewers. Editor: So, the elephant becomes a vessel for all sorts of cultural anxieties and aspirations? Curator: Precisely. Look at those almost caricatured boatmen. They feel like they are ushering something unknowable into society. How can such a vast symbol be assimilated? Perhaps that's what Hokkei’s challenging us to consider. Editor: I hadn't considered the role of cultural exchange playing out so explicitly. I initially only thought about the implied social commentary from such a strange and incongruous scene. Curator: Art provides us the space to bring our own experience, culture and memory to life and view the old through new eyes. Editor: This print is much deeper than I first imagined! I appreciate understanding all of the complex layers Hokkei created.