The Dancing Fox
1766
Artist unknown Japanese, mid- to late 18th century
Japan
A fox dressed as a Shintô priest beats a drum and dances by a shrine, probably Inari Taisha, which was dedicated to the fox god. Part of the name of the drum (taiko) sounds like the Japanese word for big or long (dai), and this reveals that the numerals appearing in relief on the fox’s clothing are the long months of the year 1766.
Color woodblock print; chuban