Object details
Object number
ARC.004298
Creator(s)
Okakura Kakuzo
(Yokohama, 1862 - 1913, Akakura)
Title
Letter to Cochin (Kotchan/Kowun) the Cat from Tokyo
Date
4 October 1911
Medium
Ink on paper
Object Case
Okakura Case
Language
English
Signatures, inscriptions, and markings
Marked in pencil (page 1 recto, upper left): 34 1
Marked in pencil (page 1 verso, upper left): 34 1
Marked in pencil (page 2 recto, upper left): 34 1
Marked in pencil (envelope recto, lower left): 34
Commentary
This letter was written by Okakura Kakuzo to Kowun, a small white kitten that had originally been a gift from Isabella Stewart Gardner. Kowun, also known by the nickname ‘Cochin,’ had to be left in the United States when Okakura returned to Japan in 1911. Here, Okakura enquires after the well-being of the cat, and expresses his sadness and loneliness due to their separation.
Gallery
Blue Room
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
Rights and reproductions
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