I will not be making a distinction between toads and frogs. That was about it, but now I know that there are lots of other misconceptions about these creatures: they are created by spontaneous generation they are associated with childbirth – both of gods and humans they are associated with the concept of resurrection they are a symbol of avarice they are harbingers of fire and/or rain they, or something very much like them, open the way to the underworld, i.e., hell and so much more.īut let’s get one thing straight right now, right from the get-go When I was a kid… all I knew was that you shouldn’t touch toads because they will give you warts. We’ll eventually get back to the more specific subject of toads in Japanese art later. However, before I make this connection clearer, let’s move on to a more generalized approach – the role of toads in art everywhere else in the world. A little digging, metaphorically speaking, and there are toads everywhere. So… here goes nothing, which I hope will lead to something… and just possibly be interesting on the way.Īs you can see, there is nothing obvious about this print’s connection with toads, but trust me there is one. So, while I don’t believe in signs (i.e., omens), that was a sign if there ever was one. Let me tell you how this all started: I was researching a Hokuei print in the Lyon Collection – see below – isn’t it magnificent? – and everywhere I turned it seemed to lead to toads.
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