The Famous, the Unrivalled Hidari Jingoro (Meiyo migi ni teki nashi Hidari Jingoro); by Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Hidari Jingoro (左 甚五郎 ひだり じんごろう) was a Japanese artist, sculptor and carpenter, active from 1596-1644. Jingoro is known to have created many famous deity sculptures located throughout Japan. His famous nemuri-neko ("sleping cat") carving is located above the Kuguri-mon Gate amidst the sacred mountain shrines and temples of Nikko, Japan. Amongst these shrines and temples is Nikkō Tōshō-gū, a shrine that honors the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Image File history File links Kuniyoshi_hidari_jingoro. ... Image File history File links Kuniyoshi_hidari_jingoro. ... Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese: 歌川国芳) (1798 - 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese woodblock print. ... This article is about Nikko the city; see Nikko (priest) for the founder of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. ... Nikko Toshogu (日光東照宮: Nikkō TōshōgÅ«) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa line of shoguns in Japan. ... Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (previously spelled Iyeyasu); 徳川 家康 (January 31, 1543 – June 1, 1616) was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa bakufu of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. ...

Hidari Jingoro was famous for being left-handed. In fact, the name Hidari (左) means "left". People who are left-handed are more dextrous with their left hand than with their right hand: they will probably also use their left hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ...

Many stories have been written about Jingoro. According to one, he once saw a woman of such exceptional beauty that he made a sculpture of her. Jingoro begins to drink in the company of the sculpture, and it begans to move, following Jingoro's lead. At first it had no emotion and could only imitate Jingoro's movements. However, when he places a mirror in front of the sculpture, the woman's spirit enters and it comes to life.

Carving of a sleeping cat at Nikkō Tōshō-gū, said to be the work of Jingoro.