Bamboo and Racoon Dogs (1)

This print belongs to the kacho-e tradition extended to include animals within natural settings, depicting tanuki — Japanese raccoon dogs — among bamboo. The tanuki is a deeply embedded figure in Japanese folklore, associated with shape-shifting and good fortune, and its appearance in woodblock prints carries cultural resonance beyond mere natural history illustration. The bamboo grove provides a compositional framework: vertical culms and feathery leaves create rhythm and depth, while the rounded forms of the tanuki contrast with the geometry of the bamboo. Nomura would have relied on the carver's skill to differentiate the textures of dense fur, segmented bamboo stems, and foliage through precise keyblock cutting. The color blocks would layer soft grays and browns for the animals against the greens and deep shadows of the grove. The numeral in the title suggests this is one print in a series or among multiple versions depicting this subject.