Accession Number1960/1.162
TitleThe Rat's Wedding
Artist(s)Utagawa ToyoharuArtist NationalityJapanese (culture or style)Object Creation Datelate 18th century - early 19th centuryMedium & Supportcolor woodblock print on paperDimensions ( )
Credit LineMuseum PurchaseLabel copyUtagawa Toyoharu is famous for his panoramic prints of historical events and legendary stories that incorporate one-point vanishing perspective modeled after European prints. The Rat’s Wedding utilizes this technique, called uki-e or “floating picture,” to illustrate a portion of a popular folktale set against a deep, detailed architectural landscape.
The Rat’s Wedding is a fable known across much of Asia, in which a young rat female comes of age. Her parents decide to wed her to the most powerful being in the world, and ask the sun to marry her. Although honored by their request, the sun tells them that clouds are stronger than he, blocking his rays. They make their proposal to a cloud, who directs them to the wind, and the wind bows to the strength of the wall. The wall explains that the strongest force in the world is a rat, able to make holes in his frame. The rat maiden is happily wed to a rat, and the jubilant procession is depicted here. On another level, this print can be interpreted as a satire, in which rats mimic the ostentatious weddings of upper-class samurai.
(Japanese Gallery Rotation, Spring 2009)
Subject matterThe Rat’s Wedding is a fable known across much of Asia, including Japan, in which a young rat female comes of age. Her parents decide to wed her to the most powerful being in the world, and ask the sun to marry her. Although honored by their request, the sun tells them that clouds are stronger than he, blocking his rays. They make their proposal to a cloud, who directs them to the wind, and the wind bows to the strength of the wall. The wall explains that the strongest force in the world is a rat, able to make holes in his frame. The rat maiden is finally wed to a rat, and the jubilant procession is depicted here.
Physical DescriptionThe majority of this print depicts a deep architectural setting. In front of the buildings a wedding procession takes place. Rats, in daimyo fashion, are celebrating.
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Keywords
architecture (object genre)
mice (input devices)
weddings (ceremonies)