Minneapolis Institute of Art

Toy tiger

Iwao 岩雄

Date

1854, 1st month

Medium

Woodblock print (surimono), ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

New Year has particular significance in Japanese culture. Marking the coming of spring in the lunar calendar, New Year symbolizes the renewal of life and hope for the future. To celebrate the occasion, poetry societies in Japan convene special gatherings in which their members compose poems on themes related to the New Year. Typical subjects for such gatherings include plum blossoms, bush warblers, the first sunrise, and the zodiac sign associated with the New Year. Depicting a child's toy, this print was created to celebrate the year of the tiger (the Zodiac animal associated with 2010 as well). The image and one of the poems bears the signature of Iwao, suggesting that the artist was also a member of the poetry society that commissioned the print, though nothing more is known about the artist-poet. Asia

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