Koson's vast output of ~450 designs spans birds, flowers, fish, insects, and occasional landscapes. While his large production keeps most prints accessible, early Kokkeido-period impressions with muted, elegant Meiji-era coloring are distinctly more sought after than the brighter later Watanabe editions.
A cat peers into a goldfish bowl — the classic domestic scene of predator and prey separated by glass, the cat's fascinated fixation on the small darting fish a subject of universal appeal. Koson's cat-and-goldfish prints are among his most charming, the composition's humor arising from the cat's posture of total absorption in its futile vigil. Produced around 1928–1930, this print demonstrates his range from the formally dignified to the warmly comic.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Cat and Goldfish was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in c. 1928–1930.
Cat and Goldfish was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1928–1930).
Cat and Goldfish depicts fish, animals, and cats.
Cat and Goldfish measures 27 × 40.8 cm (Oban format).
