Lion Training Cub c. 1835 - 1839

Editor: So this woodblock print, "Lion Training Cub," was created by Utagawa Hiroshige sometime between 1835 and 1839. It’s currently held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I find the composition really unusual – the lions are situated almost vertically within the frame. What are your thoughts on it? Curator: That’s a perceptive observation about the composition. What interests me most is the *komainu* depicted, often translated as lion-dogs. While these figures guard Shinto shrines, the visual representation shifted significantly over time. Knowing this, how might we consider Hiroshige’s piece in relation to the institutional and social context of the time? Editor: That's interesting! Are you suggesting the shift in representation perhaps mirrored societal changes, and Hiroshige’s work then reflects a contemporary understanding or perhaps even a reimagining of tradition? Curator: Precisely. Woodblock prints were widely circulated, making art accessible to a broader audience. Therefore, depictions such as this one contributed to the ongoing negotiation and evolution of cultural symbols within Japanese society. It challenges this idealized exoticism by introducing this comical scene of the lions training. It is clearly made to cater to the masses. Do you agree? Editor: I do! Now that I know that, I realize that my initial reaction was perhaps a naive reading from a Western perspective. Thank you for enlightening me! Curator: Likewise. Understanding how artworks interact with cultural and historical currents enriches our appreciation. I didn't think of it this way before.