Mother Cat

This [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) print depicts a female cat with her kittens, a subject drawn from the domestic animal observations that Sekino recorded across many works including his well-known My Family, Dog and Cat series. Sekino's animal prints in the [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) tradition treat their subjects with close observational attention to posture, texture, and the relationship between individuals in a group. A mother cat with young would likely be composed around the physical closeness and protective orientation of the animals, rendered with careful attention to fur texture achieved through fine knife work on the woodblock. Color would be restrained — grey, amber, white — with the [washi](/glossary/washi) surface contributing warmth to the overall tone. The subject sits within a broad Japanese tradition of animal imagery while reflecting Sekino's particular interest in the interior life of animals as expressive subjects.