Purple cat

The purple cat is a subject that steps outside naturalistic convention, using non-local color to shift the image toward decorative or expressive register. Cats appear across Japanese graphic arts from [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) through modern [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga), and Oi situates this print within that tradition while departing from it through color choice. The deep violet or lavender tones would require careful pigment mixing and layered printing across multiple color blocks to achieve the desired saturation on [washi](/glossary/washi). The cat's posture — seated, curled, or in motion — would determine the compositional rhythm, with the unusual coloration serving as the primary visual tension. Flat color fields and a simplified outline are consistent with Oi's mokuhanga approach, and the chromatic choice gives the print a distinctly contemporary character while remaining within the formal vocabulary of Japanese woodblock.