Three cats

"Three cats" places Fukami Gashu within the long ukiyo-e tradition of feline imagery most strongly associated with Utagawa Kuniyoshi, whose triptychs and single-sheet designs of cats—domestic, anthropomorphized, and humorous—established the cat as a serious subject for the Japanese woodblock print. A composition arranging three cats invites pictorial play: variations in posture, color, and relation, with each animal occupying a distinct register within the picture plane. The mokuhanga technique allows precise outlining of fur patterns through key-block carving and tonal variation across short hairs through bokashi or careful registration of solid colors. Given the Fukami print already documented as referencing Kuniyoshi's style, "Three cats" appears to extend that affiliation, working within a recognizable subject category that links late Edo ukiyo-e practice to modern continuations of the form. The grouping format also recalls the multi-figure cat compositions for which Kuniyoshi was particularly known.