Two Rats (Masatami. Late 19th century), ivory netsuke
My favorite rat artworks are not from China (nor from the canon of Western Art–where rats tend to be depicted as vile little monsters), but from another East Asian culture which keeps the same lunar calendar and recognizes some of the same symbolic associations. Here is a small gallery of endearing and playful rat pictures from Japan.
Treasure Boat with Three Rats (Kubo Shunman, 1816, (year of the rat)), woodblock print
I wish I could explain all of the puns, allusions, and anthropomorphized fables behind these images, but, alas, I cannot. You will have to enjoy the rats relatively free of context (although I note that the ratties seem to be hungry adventurers…and several of the artworks come from rat years which occurred hundreds of years ago).
Three Rats (Kono Bairei,1889 (Year of the Rat)) Diptych woodblock print in pastel shades
Man and Huge Rat (Kunisada, ca. 19th century) woodblock print
Figures from ” Chingan sodate gusa ” published in 1787
Rats and fish (Kyosai Kawanabe, 1881) woodblock print
YEAR OF THE RAT, MID 19TH CENTURY, SURIMONO, COLOUR
One thing that does jump out is that the Japanese found reasons to be charmed and pleased by the curiosity, bravery, and altruism of rats. Even in the twentieth century, when American cultural influences weigh more heavily on the Japanese canon, there is still an independent likability to these rats. Do you see it? Do you have any favorite Japanese rat images of your own?
Toy Rat (Japanese, 20th Century) Plastic
ferrebeekeeper 
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January 28, 2020 at 11:34 PM
K Hindall
My sister and I have been rat fans since her childhood pet, Frances. So in my collection of teapots, which are funny or beautiful rather than valuable, of course I have a rat one! It’s from East Asia (China, I think, but it may be Japan) and is of a group of rats surrounding a bag of grain. The biggest rat (the spout) is pulling it along; the others are in and on it. My favorite is the one who has its head jammed inside the bag so that you only see its hind end and tail sticking out!
January 30, 2020 at 12:26 AM
Wayne
That sounds like an amazing teapot! (and it sounds like Frances was a very special rat). I wish I had included more images in this post–there are some astonishing rodent themed works from East Asia!
January 30, 2020 at 10:46 AM
K Hindall
Actually, I have photos of the teapot, if you’re interested. (And Frances was a very smart rat! My sister often let her have a few hours loose in the family room. When it was time for her to go back in her tank, my sister would go to the center of the room and drum her fingernails on the floor. Instantly Frances would appear from wherever she’d been lurking! But I could drum my fingernails on the floor for *hours* and get no response. . . .) Thanks so much for this series on rats! They’re very underrated.
January 31, 2020 at 11:32 PM
Wayne
I wish I could post photos in these comments…but I have never figured out that functionality (if it even exists) but send your teapot photos to wmferreb@hotmail.com and I’ll see if we can make ’em into a little appendix post. Frances sounds wonderful–once upon a time, I thought about getting a rat myself, but they have such swift lives I couldn’t bear it.
February 2, 2020 at 1:25 PM
K Hindall
I got your message, O Ferrebeekeeper, but the e-mail address you sent for the teapot pictures refused the message. “Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable.”
As for the rat detractors, I will hunt down that SciShow video about how a team of scientists discovered that rats *do* laugh.
January 28, 2020 at 11:40 PM
K Hindall
And I forgot the Atomic Space Rats of the _Lois and Clark_ episode “Seasons Greedings”! I make sure to watch that one every December. Granted, that’s not as sweet as most Asian rat references, but it’s still very fun. They look very much like the plastic rat at the end of your post.