Artwork

画本虫撰バッタと蟷螂|Cone-headed Grasshopper or Locust, (batta); Praying Mantis (Tōrō or Kamakiri), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami)

画本虫撰バッタと蟷螂|Cone-headed Grasshopper or Locust, (batta); Praying Mantis (Tōrō or Kamakiri), from the Picture Book of Crawling Creatures (Ehon mushi erami) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Kitagawa Utamaro. It dates from 1788 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

This woodblock illustration, produced in 1788 by the Japanese printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro, forms part of the Ehon mushi erami, a picture book devoted to crawling insects. The sheet, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicts a cone‑headed grasshopper and a praying mantis rendered in delicate ink and color on paper.

Subject & Meaning

The left figure shows a grasshopper perched on a slender green stem beside a pond, while the right side presents a mantis poised on a leaf near a small fruit and a twig. The pairing highlights contrasting postures and habitats of two common insects, reflecting the Edo‑period interest in natural observation and the symbolic associations of these creatures in Japanese culture.

Technique & Style

Utamara employed traditional woodblock printing, carving separate blocks for line work and each hue. Soft, muted pigments—pale greens, browns, and yellows—are applied to a light‑colored paper, producing a restrained palette that emphasizes the fine line detail of the insects' anatomy.

History & Provenance

Created for the Ehon mushi erami, a serial publication that circulated among educated readers, the print was later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains part of the museum’s Japanese prints collection.

Context

During the late eighteenth century, Japanese artists frequently illustrated natural subjects for both scientific curiosity and aesthetic pleasure. Utamaro, better known for his portraiture of women, also contributed to this genre, applying his skill in rendering delicate forms to the study of insects.