Public domain
The Story of the Bamboo Cutter, Year of the Dragon or Rat
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The title of the luxuriously bound book depicted in this print is The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. All the objects around it refer to the five impossible tasks in the tale, namely finding the begging bowl of the Buddha, a jewelled branch, a robe of fire-rat fur, a dragon’s jewel, and the shell of a special snail. It is up to the viewer to spot them.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineHet verhaal van de bamboesnijder, jaar van de Draak of Rat. c. 1800. Kubota Shunman. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
