The Solar Terms of the Chinese Zodiac
Artist: Gen Tamura
Year: 2016
Medium: Acrylic on plywood
Dimensions: 17.7 × 3.9 in. (45 × 10 cm)
A solar term is the twenty-four seasons of the lunar calendar. Since the Chinese zodiac, too, links to the four seasons, I depicted each season on the background of the twelve animals.
| Spring | Tiger, Rabbit, Doragon |
| Summer | Snake, Horse, Goat (Sheep) |
| Autumn | Monkey, Rooster, Dog |
| Winter | Pig (Boar in Japan), Rat, Ox |
The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac are slightly different in countries. I painted the animals of the zodiac in Japan. While the goat is the eighth of the zodiac in several countries, it is the sheep in China, Japan and other countries. Only Japan’s zodiac has wild boar as the animal of Year of the Pig. And the dog in this painting is Shikoku dog because I live in Shikoku Island.