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Longevity and Wealth

Tags: blessing | print

This print illustrates two cats chasing butterflies in flowering shrubs. Mao (cat) and diae (butterfly) are homophones to the phrase “old age” (mao diae). Hence, the cat and butterfly together signifies the meaning of wishing someone longevity and the print’s auspicious implication is clear. Some people who raise silkworms also post pictures of cats on their walls in the hopes of extinguishing rats and to have a good harvest year of silkworm flowers.

 

Printmaking
35 x55 cm

National Museum of History