The Ueno Zoo in Tokyo is frequently in the news for its new exhibit of giant pandas, and the Asahiyama Zoo welcomes more than 400,000 visitors a year who want to watch the antics of their spotted seals. The Fukuchiyama Zoo has attracted attention for its boar-riding baby macaque monkeys. Indeed, zoos all over Japan are often the focus of great attention. And the art world is not exempt from this universal love of animals. This exhibition presents images of adorable animals, primarily by modern era Nihonga painters.

Living creatures have long fascinated the Japanese people, whether it be animals or birds, insects or shellfish. And, they have just as often painted pictures of these animals. The Chinese-origin painting genre of birds and flowers aside, Japanese painters have traditionally linked images of animals with religious or spiritual sentiment, whether elephants or lions found as deity pedestals in Buddhist paintings, mythical kirin (griffins) or phoenixes, or the dragon and tiger images of the Zen world. Modern Nihonga painters, on the other hand, worked from these traditions and then added a more realistic depiction to their works, each coming up with their own individualistic, free expression that conjures up their own vision of their animal subjects.

Exhibits include Takeuchi Seihō's Tabby Cat (Important Cultural Property, on display until 21 August) twisting to lick its back and enchanting us with his green eyes, and Kobayashi Kokei's Cat (on display after 23 August) with its stalwart gaze. The owl hidden in the forest depths in Yamaguchi Kayō's Spirit of the Forest (Dryad). The adorable baby ducks in Takeuchi Seihō's Ducklings and Omoda Seiju's Brood, and the soaring quality of flying fish in Kawabata Ryūshi's The Black Current. This exhibition also highlights images of insects and fish, such as the Important Cultural Property-designated Dancing in the Flames by Hayami Gyoshū (on display after 23 August).

With galleries that make you feel like you have wandered into the zoo by chance, we hope that visitors will enjoy this artistic menagerie of animals and find their own personal favorites. This special exhibition, designed specifically for the school summer holiday season, is sure to delight children of all ages.

Image: Takeuchi Seihō, Tabby Cat (Important Cultural Property)