Musk Cat. Artist: Uto Gyoshi (Japanese, active second half of 16th century). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Image: 29 15/16 × 18 5/16 in. (76 × 46.5 cm)Overall with mounting: 66 1/8 × 24 1/8 in. (168 × 61.3 cm)Overall with knobs: 66 1/8 × 25 7/8 in. (168 × 65.8 cm). Date: second half of the 16th century.A fluffy black-and-white musk cat does its best to ignore the agitated titmouse on a willow branch above him. Although not native to Japan, musk cats (jakoneko), or civets, served as an auspicious motif associated with longevity. These nocturnal, cat-like mammals with long pointed snouts were a favorite painting subject of artists affiliated with the Kano school, on whose models this work was likely based. A large square seal at the lower right identifies the painter as Uto Gyoshi, an obscure figure whose name was long conflated with two other painters, Maejima Soyu and Kano Gyokuraku, both of whom are loosely associated with a regional branch studio of the Kano school located in the e