Cats by Kuniyoshi: Ukiyo-e Paper Book

by Kuniyoshi Utagawa (Contributor), Kaneko Nobuhisa

In old Tokyo, known as “Edo” during the early modern period, fashion snaps and entertainment magazines came in the form of “Ukiyo-e” (“pictures of the floating world”). There were many Ukiyo-e shops in Edo, which sold various woodblock prints, just as news agents or book shops sell magazines or posters today. Each Ukiyo-e print was sold individually to customers, who bought these beautifully printed sheets of paper to learn the most up-to-date trends of the day, and who also sometimes enjoyed them as artworks or as interior decor by displaying them on their walls.

This art book, Cats by Kuniyoshi, features cats depicted humorously and satirically in the woodblock prints of the outstanding Ukiyo-e master UTAGAWA Kuniyoshi (1797-1861). Each of the 60 art reproductions can be removed easily, offering today’s readers a fun and authentic way to appreciate Ukiyo-e. The simple, yet unique, design on the back side of each page provides even more creative ideas.

Cats by Kuniyoshi is a must-have art book for Japanese art and cat lovers alike, as well as anyone looking for a new perspective on art.

Genres: Art

152 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2015

Reviews

[Dylan Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful art book looking at the varied often humours cat illustrations of Kuniyoshi.

[Carson Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent little book of high-quality cat prints. There are ~60 total, and they are designed to be removed. I actually have two copies of this book, one for the shelf, and one where I pulled out my favorite 24 prints to make a giant cat collage.

When evaluating art books, I want to see high quality pictures big enough to do the art justice, accompanied by text that interestingly contextualizes the art. This work does great on all counts. As a Japanese learner, I was also delighted that it contains both Japanese and English translations.