(British Museum Japanese Art Collection) Kawanabe Kyōsai's "Chōjū-giga: Cat Riding on a Melon Pulled by a Mouse"
Kawanabe Kyōsai's 1879 work "Chōjū-giga: Cat Riding on a Melon Pulled by a Mouse" is a satirical allegory depicting a cat adorned with a bell being manipulated by a mouse.Summary
This article introduces a work from the British Museum's Japanese Art Collection: Kawanabe Kyōsai's (1831–89) painting "Chōjū-giga: Cat Riding on a Melon Pulled by a Mouse" (1879). Kyōsai began his artistic training at the age of seven under the ukiyo-e master Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and later studied the Kanō school as well. He became known for combining satire with realism. In this work, a cat appears to be sitting contentedly on a palanquin, but the painting is actually an allegory: the cat has a bell tied around its neck and is being manipulated by a mouse. The article also provides exhibition information, noting that the exhibition runs until October 18 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and from October 31, 2026, to January 31, 2027, at the Osaka Nakanoshima Museum of Art.
(Source：朝日新聞)