Tatoe zukushi no uchi (Illustrated Proverbs with Cats)
by Utagawa Kuniyoshi;
large-size three-part nishiki-e print; 1852; held in a private collection
This work humorously depicts cats in Japanese proverbs, such as “Bonito to a cat,” “Coin to a cat,” “Cat tongue” and “Not even a cat would eat it.” These bob-tailed spotted cats and calico cats are typical kinds of Japanese cats in the Edo period. With his outstanding ability to observe objects and artistic skill, Kuniyoshi, a cat lover, faithfully depicted the flexible bodies and unique poses of cats, while giving them human-like facial expressions.
Kokonhimekagami Usugumo (Exemplary Woman: Usugumo)
by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi;
large-size nishiki-e print; 1875–76; held in a private collection
Since the Edo period, the combination of a cat and a beautiful woman, such as a high-rank courtesan, had been a popular theme of ukiyo-e. The courtesan depicted in this print is named Usugumo, who loved her cat so much that she fell ill when her master took the cat away from her. This picture is elaborately designed, with cats also depicted in the sleeves and hem of the kimono, and as a crest and decorations of the hair accessories. Ukiyo-e prints created in the Meiji period are characterized vivid colors, due to the availability of imported pigments, especially aniline red.
Gojusantsugi no uchi neko no kai (The Supernatural Cat of the Tokaido)
by Utagawa Yoshifuji;
large-size nishiki-e print; 1847; held in a private collection
This scary face is so impactful that you will never forget it once you see it. This is yose-e, an assemblage picture, in which the combination of smaller cats forms a big face of a cat. Utagawa Yoshifuji is known for omocha-e toy prints. This picture depicts a monster cat of Okazaki, one of the three monster cats of Japan, in the scene from a kabuki play Hitoritabi gojusantsugi (Traveling Alone Along Fifty-Three Stations) in which the monster cat disguised as an old women jumps out through a bamboo blind.
