A World of Edo Art

Animals have appeared in Japanese folktales for centuries. In one of the country's most beloved tales, Momotarō, a boy born from a peach grows up to conquer an island of demons with his comrades, a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, in tow. While foxes and tanuki, Japanese racoon dogs, are often portrayed as tricksters, taking human shape to bring mischief, other creatures of the land and sky visit villagers to repay a kindness or impart their wisdom. 

Except for tigers, who were not native to Japan and often bear a suspicious resemblance to house cats, the animals portrayed in Edo art lived in close proximity to humans. Thus, artists were able to carefully observe the animals with whom people shared their food, their shelter, and their environments—willingly or not—as fellow creatures. Whether depicting horses joyfully galloping across a raging stream or a tiger mom anxiously ferrying her cubs to safety on a far shore, artists never hesitated to imbue their subjects with their own, very human, emotions.