Advanced Search 
「猫鼠合戦」
The artist Yoshitoshi, whose usual specialty was serious depictions of historic warriors, has envisioned the eternal war between cats and mice as a grand epic of battling samurai clans in six small, humorous vignettes. The mice often defeat the cats by such means as frightening them with a large toy dog, trapping them in paper snack bags, or stealing food while the cat on watch dozes off.
Cats Frightened by Toy Dog (above); Cat Using Mousetrap (below); from the series The War of Cats and Mice (Neko nezumi kassen)
「猫鼠合戦」
Japanese
Edo period
1859 (Ansei 6), 9th month
Medium/Technique
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Two horizontal chûban on uncut vertical ôban sheet; 37.2 x 25.8 cm (14 5/8 x 10 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.37779
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia, Prints and Drawings
ClassificationsPrints
The artist Yoshitoshi, whose usual specialty was serious depictions of historic warriors, has envisioned the eternal war between cats and mice as a grand epic of battling samurai clans in six small, humorous vignettes. The mice often defeat the cats by such means as frightening them with a large toy dog, trapping them in paper snack bags, or stealing food while the cat on watch dozes off.
Catalogue Raisonné
Newland, Yoshitoshi (2011), p. 157, list #1
DescriptionThree prints from the set, possibly a triptych: 11.37779, 11.37780, 11.37781
Signed
Ikkaisai Yoshitoshi giga (above), Yoshitoshi gihitsu (below)
一魁斎芳年戯画 芳年戯筆
一魁斎芳年戯画 芳年戯筆
Marks
Censor's seal: Goat 9 aratame
No blockcutter's mark
改印：未九改
彫師：なし
No blockcutter's mark
改印：未九改
彫師：なし
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850–d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 19, 2005)
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.