Utagawa HiroshigeJapanese, 1797–1858Lion Training Cub
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Lion Training Cub” now? Collection: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Although lions are not native to China, the Japanese have long referred to them as karajishi, or Chinese lions, because the first lion images seen in Japan came from China in the 9th century. This print’s subject alludes to a well-known Chinese proverb about a lioness testing the strength and stamina of her cubs by pushing them off a cliff. She accepts only those able to climb back up the rocky precipice. In some versions, the lioness conducts this terrible test when the cubs are only three days old. The first line of the accompanying poem probably refers to cubs that survived into their fourth day.
The four-day-old Chinese lion although just a little cub, is as graceful as a peony flower.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Details
- Accession number
- P.75.51.337
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — public domain
![Shinano Province, Moon Reflected in the Sarashina Paddy-fields, Mount Kyōdai (Shinano, Sarashina tagoto no tsuki, Kyōdaisan), from the series Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces [of Japan] ([Dai Nihon] Rokujūyoshū meisho zue), Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重, Edo period, 1853 (Kaei 6, 8th month)](https://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUAM:CARP04802_dynmc/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
