Image: Ōta Memorial Museum of Art, Tokyo
A work by Utagawa Yoshifusa depicting cats dining at a restaurant called Matsugotei is currently on view in the Ōta Memorial Museum of Art’s exhibition 'Animal & Monster' in Tokyo. According to the museum’s announcement, the print is included in the exhibition as part of a presentation focused on animal and monster imagery in ukiyo-e.
The Ōta Memorial Museum of Art, known for its collection and exhibitions devoted to ukiyo-e, is hosting the show through 23 August. The museum’s notice singles out Yoshifusa’s image of cats eating together in a restaurant setting as one of the works displayed in the exhibition.
Yoshifusa’s print belongs to a long tradition of playful and imaginative animal subjects in Japanese print culture. The scene of cats behaving like human diners gives the work a humorous character while also aligning it with the exhibition’s broader focus on creatures both familiar and fantastical.
'Animal & Monster' is being presented at the Ōta Memorial Museum of Art in Tokyo from 31 July to 23 August. The museum’s statement does not provide additional curatorial details in the material supplied, but it confirms the inclusion of the Yoshifusa work within the exhibition’s run.
