Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shū), vol. 1: “Books from Kanazawa Library” (Kanazawa Bunko) and “Foreign Cat of Shōmyōji Temple” (Shōmyōji no kara neko), from the series History of Kamakura (Kamakura shi) 1810 - 1816

This print, made by Kubo Shunman sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century, shows a cat perched on a box, paired with poetic inscriptions. The image and the calligraphy form an ensemble known as a "surimono," a privately commissioned print often celebrating special occasions or advertising literary circles. Looking closer, the box’s inscription identifies it as containing books from the Kanazawa Library, a medieval institution revived during the Edo period as a symbol of cultural prestige. The cat, identified as a "foreign cat of Shōmyōji Temple," may allude to imported knowledge or exoticism, reflecting Japan's complex relationship with foreign influence. The print is elegantly designed and subtly colored, indicative of its intended audience of educated elites. Prints like this reveal a vibrant cultural landscape in which artists, poets, and patrons collaborated to produce sophisticated works. It is through careful study of such cultural institutions and artistic networks that we can better understand the social life of images in Edo-period Japan.