Feeling Warm - Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

A refined woodblock print from the series 'Thirty-two Aspects of Customs and Manners' by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, depicting a woman resting with her cat.

This woodblock print is part of the series 'Thirty-two Aspects of Customs and Manners' (Fuzoku sanjuniso), produced by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi during the Meiji period. The series examines the psychological states and daily habits of women from various social strata. In this specific composition, titled 'Feeling Warm' (Natsukashii), Yoshitoshi depicts a woman of the merchant class during the summer months. She is shown resting, with a cat curled up on her lap. The cat provides a sense of quiet domesticity, while the woman's expression suggests a moment of gentle contemplation or perhaps the lethargy induced by the heat.

Yoshitoshi was a master of the late Ukiyo-e tradition, often credited with bringing a new level of psychological depth to the medium. His work during the 1880s moved away from the stylised figures of earlier generations, opting instead for more realistic proportions and nuanced facial expressions. The print demonstrates his skill in balancing decorative elements, such as the patterned fabric of the woman's kimono, with the subtle rendering of human emotion. The colour palette is restrained, relying on soft tones to convey the atmosphere of a quiet interior. The inclusion of the cat, rendered with soft, textured lines, adds a tactile quality to the scene. This print serves as a record of the aesthetic and social concerns of the late nineteenth-century Japanese urban population, capturing a fleeting moment of comfort within the home.