Kuniyoshi’s 55 Cats on the Tōkaidō: EP. 5 Mie

Part of Kuniyoshi’s 55 Cats on the Tōkaidō · Episode 5

The fifth stage of Kuniyoshi’s 55 Cats on the Tōkaidō takes us into Mie Prefecture. Here, the felines’ behaviour evokes folk beliefs, familiar objects and jokes that Japanese viewers of the Edo period might have recognised instantly. Why might a cat hesitate before an abalone shell? Follow the connections between local culture, animal observation and the strange art of place-name wordplay.