| | |  | | Home » Cats Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle | | | | | | | Description: | | This 258 piece puzzle shows a 19th century woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi of 53 cats and one octopus (the signature animal of Kuniyoshi). The full title of this work is "Cats Suggested as the 53 Stations of Tokaido." The puzzle pieces have a grid design with numerous cat-shaped whimsy pieces running amok (click on the small picture below the puzzle image to see example pieces), and were designed by Seattle artist Tara Flannery. Please note this image is a faithful reproduction of an old woodblock print, and thus has some authentic wabi-sabi imperfections to it. All our puzzles are made with 1/4" wood. The puzzle is packaged in a large drawstring pouch. | | | Features: | |
• 258 pieces
• laser-cut wooden jigsaw puzzle
• Made in USA
• 7" x 15"
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 5.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 5.0 inches | | Package Length:
| 5.8 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 4.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.55 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 2 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 2 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Beautiful CraftsmanshipMay 26, 2010
By CurlyQ
I bought this as a gift, because I liked the puzzle I bought for myself so much. This company provides a beautiful puzzle, that can be passed down for generations to enjoy.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Lovely puzzle, lots of kitty cats, interesting historical artDec 04, 2011
By Daniel T. Egnor
If you're not familiar with Artifact Puzzles, they're made of wood, which gives them a finer fit and a nicer feel. The images are lacquered for a smooth feel and brilliantly colored with fine detail.
This puzzle is great for cat lovers -- the picture is full of whimsical cats in all poses, and many of the pieces themselves are shaped like cats in various amusing positions. (You will also find the occasional fish, mouse, octopus, and similar.)
The art is by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, one of the masters of Japanese woodcut. The "Tokaido" was the main road from Edo (modern day Tokyo) to Osaka. Travelers were mostly on foot, and the fifty-three stations were government post stations and rest areas. The 53 stations became the focus of illustration and poetry, with several famous woodcut series depicting the unique character of each stop.
Here, the artist is basically having fun by representing the stations as cats. Each cat is labeled (in Japanese, of course) with the name of the stop. I suspect the poses and activities of the cats relate to the nature of each of the stops.
But even if you're not a fan of Japanese woodcut, this is a lovely image with a wonderful depiction of many cats (and the occasional kitten!) doing a variety of cat like things. Cats in 19th century Japan seem pretty similar to the cats I'm familiar with in 21st century North America...
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