Yoshikawa Tsubodō's 50th anniversary commemorative work "Cat Enjoying the Cool"

Painting introduction:

"Cat Enjoying the Coolness"

Author: Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Brocade painting on fan

21.6 cm *28.8 cm ( original size )

1830s ( Tenpo era)

Tokyo National Museum

    Under the leadership of Masahiro Abe, the Japan-US Treaty of Commerce and Amity was signed. He advocated an open policy and established a naval training school and a Western learning institute, which actually led Japan to a major policy shift towards opening up its doors. The black robe of the falconer on the right has the pseudonym " Kan " (pronounced: Kan ), which refers to the 13th Shogun Tokugawa Iesada ( 1824-1858 ), who was nicknamed " Epileptic Kogata " because of his weak health. " Kan " is the Japanese pronunciation of " epilepsy " . As a folk artist with a weak political color, Utagawa Kuniyoshi's works criticize the shogunate's autocratic regime in a relaxed form, reflecting the optimistic character of Edo citizens.

    Although the shogunate government implemented a policy of isolation, influences from the West had gradually entered Japan. Utagawa Kuniyoshi carefully collected hundreds of European copperplate engravings to study Western painting techniques and published many ukiyo-e that imitated perspective and realism.

If Utagawa Kuniyoshi's warrior paintings, satirical drawings and ghost and mythological stories reveal an evil spirit, then the small animals he liked to paint showed more of an alternative charm.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi was especially known for his love of cats and his paintings of cats. He was good at painting the various states of cats with refined brushstrokes (Figure 24 ). He not only kept cats everywhere in his studio, but also often held cats in his arms when painting. Cats are a unique cultural phenomenon in Japan. In the Edo period, many stories about cats possessing people were circulated among the people. Superstition and prejudice gave cats more mysterious colors. There are a lot of cat-related content in literary works and daily speech. Therefore, Utagawa Kuniyoshi was also good at anthropomorphizing cats, using cats as a carrier to illustrate reality and express the daily life of ordinary people.