Temporary Numbers

SP3 and SP4

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ADDITIONAL NOTES FOR THESE DESIGNS

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Design History:
The Tsuchiya family collection includes several copies of artist proofs of two different woodblock print designs of rats. Each design includes a single rat with no other elements, and since the examples are printed on irregular scraps of paper, it is unclear what Rakusan intended for the composition of any published version. The surviving copies also have no signatures or seals.

These proof prints were stored in a folder with uncirculated copies of souvenir prints, and the family reported that Rakusan had intended to prepare these two designs for similar use. Rakusan probably created these designs circa 1947, presumably in anticipation of the Year of the Rat which would have begun in early 1948. It is unknown if final versions of either design were ever actually published and circulated.

Species Illustrated:
Rat, Rattus sp. (unclear which species is intended). These two designs are the only representations of rats or mice among Rakusan's artworks.