Object details
Object number
ARC.004127
Creator(s)
Okakura Kakuzo
(Yokohama, 1862 - 1913, Akakura)
Title
Letter to Isabella Stewart Gardner from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Date
22 November 1910
Medium
Ink on paper
Language
English
Signatures, inscriptions, and markings
Stationery printed: Museum of Fine Arts, / Boston.
Commentary
This letter, penned by Okakura Kakuzo, is written from the voice and perspective of Kowun, a fluffy white kitten that Gardner gifted Okakura. Here, Kowun (speaking through Okakura), introduces itself to Gardner, and offers multiple nicknames that she can use for the cat in events such as ‘moments of tenderness’ or when one is feeling ‘silly’. The nickname “Cochin” seems to have been the one that stuck—further letters ‘from the cat’ are signed with that name.
Bibliography
Nina Wutrich, "Correspondence from Cochin the Cat," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 8 August 2023, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/correspondence-cochin-cat
Gallery
Blue Room
Case
Okakura Case
Rights and reproductions
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