Reader Collection > Exhibitions > 26 Views of Red-crowned Cranes in Japanese Printed Art

Introduction

The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) is a very impressive bird. Standing more than a meter tall and with gleaming white feathers and a red forehead, it is hard to overlook. It is native to Japan and, not surprisingly, it appears often in printed Japanese art where it is shown engaged in a variety of activities and depicted from every possible angle. Examples of the following views are included in this virtual exhibition:

Standing – viewed from the front (prints 1-2), the side (prints 3-4) and the back (prints 5-6)

Flying – viewed from the front (prints 7-8), the side (prints 9-10), above (print 11) and below (print 12)

Feeding – viewed from the front (print 13) and the side (print 14)

Grooming – viewed from the side (print 15) and the back (print 16)

Sleeping – viewed from the side (prints 17-18)

Courting – viewed from the side (prints 19-22)

Parenting – viewed from the side (prints 23-24)

Accompanying humans – viewed from the front (print 25) and the back (print 26)

These twenty-six prints were chosen from the Reader Collection of Japanese Art which includes more than three hundred prints of red-crowned cranes.

 1   Standing, drawn by Kaoru Kawano, woodblock print, 290 x 420 mm

2   Standing, drawn by Tennen Kaigai, included in Tennen Hyakutsuru (One Hundred Cranes by Tennen), published in 1900, woodblock print, 205 x 315 mm

3   Standing, drawn by Ryūji Kawano, digital print, 300 x 420 mm

4   Standing, drawn by Koson Ohara, woodblock print, 190 x 365 mm

5   Standing, drawn by Bihō Takahashi, woodblock print, 250 x 240 mm

6   Standing, drawn by Gakusui Ide, woodblock print, 250 x 285 mm

7   Flying, drawn by Koryūsai Isoda, woodblock print, 215 x 290 mm

8   Flying, drawn by Shumman Kubo, woodblock print, 225 x 225 mm

9   Flying, drawn by Tomikichirō Tokuriki, woodblock print, 270 x 300 mm

10   Flying, drawn by Keisuke Serizawa, stencil print, 290 x 260 mm

11   Flying, drawn by an anonymous artist, woodblock print, 125 x 175 mm

12   Flying, drawn by Shinbō Kogure, screenprint, 260 x 205 mm

13   Feeding, drawn by Koson Ohara, woodblock print, 150 x 205 mm

14   Feeding, drawn by Yoshio Kanamori, woodblock print, 140 x 125 mm

 15   Grooming, drawn by Gantai Kishi, included in Seikajō (Refined Pictures of Flowers), edited by Naosaburō Yamada, published in 1892, woodblock print, 165 x 240 mm

16   Grooming, drawn by Katei Taki, included in Kachō Gafu (Picture Album of Flowers and Birds), published in 1888, woodblock print, 350 x 250 mm

17   Sleeping, drawn by Ōkyo Maruyama, included in Ōkyo Shūbi Gafu  (Album of Aesthetic Pictures by Ōkyo), edited by Gessai Fukui, published in 1892, woodblock print, 200 x 275 mm

18   Sleeping, drawn by Masao Ohba, screenprint, 135 x 195 mm

19   Courting, drawn by Kaoru Kawano, woodblock print, 230 x 370 mm

20   Courting, drawn by Shirō Takagi, woodblock print, 200 x 230 mm

 21   Courting, drawn by Tōshi Yoshida , woodblock print, 500 x 385 mm

22   Courting, drawn by Sekka Kamisekka, woodblock print, 235 x 350 mm

23   Parenting, drawn by Ōkyo Maruyama, woodblock print, 265 x 380 mm

24   Parenting, drawn by Seisai Itō, included in Shunjū Nishiki-E (Brocade Pictures of Spring and Fall), published in 1881, woodblock print, 170 x 245 mm

 25   Accompanying a mythical deity, drawn by Gyokusuisai Fujiwara, included in Gazu Senyō (Selected Essentials of Painting), published in 1766, woodblock print, 350 x 260 mm

26   Accompanying Fukurokuju (mythical god of happiness, wealth and long life), drawn by Masayoshi Kitao, included in Shinki Issō (Clean Sweep of the Mind), published in 1814, woodblock print, 360 x 250 mm

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