Customer Reviews

Cats Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle

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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.

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...