Tiger (Tora)

Yashima Gakutei designed Tiger (Tora) in 1826 as part of a celebrated zodiac series in which the twelve animals of the East Asian calendar were each given a separate surimono. The print is preserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which holds the complete set among its substantial Gakutei holdings.

The tiger is shown in a tightly coiled posture, the stripes of its coat carefully registered through overprinting and the bunched muscles of its haunches articulated with confident drawing. Gakutei concentrates compositional energy on the animal itself, sometimes paired with a bamboo grove or a craggy rock that anchors it in the landscape conventions associated with the tiger in East Asian painting. The figure's claws, whiskers, and the alert turn of the head exhibit the precision expected of high-quality surimono.