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(1) Hiroshige Utagawa
Hiroshige designed more
than six hundred bird prints, mostly during the 1830s and 1840sa.
His output was greater than all other ukiyo-e bird printmakers combined. As
a result, he is the best known ukiyo-e bird printmaker today. Print 28
illustrates six features of his bird prints. First, a bird with colorful
plumage was typically paired with equally attractive flowers. Second, the
species chosen for depiction usually had symbolic associations. In this
case both the bird and flowerb are symbols of summer. Third,
birds and flowers were normally shown in full color. Fourth, the colors
chosen were accurate enough to allow viewers to identify the species
depicted and make the intended symbolic association. Fifth, a poem about
the bird and (or) flower was often added to communicate Hiroshige’s
feelings about the species he depicted. Sixth, additional bands of colorc
were sometimes added across the top and bottom of the print to further
increase the print’s visual appeal.
a See Bogel et al. (1988) for more
examples of Hiroshige’s bird prints and additional information about his
life.
b The flower is China rose (Rosa
chinensis). Nomenclature for plants follows Wiersema (2013).
c Hiroshige’s use of color bands at the
top and bottom of a print may be based on the similar practice of placing
colorful material across the top and bottom of a painted picture when it
was mounted on a hanging scroll.
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28 Blue-and-white flycatcher (Cyanoptila
cyanomelana)
by Hiroshige Utagawa, 115 mm x 340 mm, woodblock print
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(2) Koryūsai Isoda
Koryūsai published
more than eighty bird printsa during the late 1700s and he was
the most important bird print artist of his time. He took full advantage of
the then recent advance in printing technology which made multiple color
printing possible. In print 29 he combined a black crow with a white egret,
red camellia flower, green leaves, grey sky and white snow. Both the crow
and camellia flower are symbols of winter which explains the inclusion of
snow. In contrast, the egret is associated with summer so its inclusion
here would have been very surprising to viewers. The novelty of his designs
plus the use of multiple colors likely contributed to the popularity of his
prints with viewers seeking visual stimulation and pleasure. the
popularity of his prints with viewers seeking visual stimulation and pleasure.
a See Hockley (2003) for a list of
Koryūsai’s bird prints plus a description of his life and work.
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29 Large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
and little egret (Egretta garzetta) by Koryūsai Isoda, 210 mm x
285 mm, woodblock print
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(3) Eisen Ikeda
Eisen made more than
forty bird prints during the early 1800s. For some of these prints he
borrowed from the work of other more famous artistsa. For
example, the descending goose shown in print 30 is similar to designs
published by both Hiroshige Utagawa and Hokusai Katsushika. The volume of
Eisen’s output suggests that his work was appreciated by print purchasers
of the time, perhaps because it resembled the work of other popular
artists.
a Copying the designs of others was common
practice and considered to be a sign of respect for the originator of a
particular design (Jordan and Weston, 2003).
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30 Goose (Anser sp.) by Eisen Ikeda,
165 mm x 225 mm, woodblock print
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(4) Toyohiro Utagawa
Toyohiro was active
during the late 1700s and early 1800s. During this period he published
close to forty bird prints. While full color was the norm for bird prints
at that time he chose just shades of grey for most of his prints. Print 31
is one example. In this print he met the challenge of using a limited
color palette to depict a white bird by outlining the cockatoo in light
grey instead of the usual black used by his predecessors. Today, Toyohiro
is perhaps better known for being the teachera of the prolific
bird printmaker Hiroshige Utagawa than for his own bird prints.
a Additional biographic information about
Toyohiro and other ukiyo-e artists is given by Roberts (1976).
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31 Cockatoo (Cacatua sp.) by Toyohiro
Utagawa, 165 mm x 220 mm, woodblock print
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(5) Hokusai Katsushika
Hokusai worked mostly
during the first half of the nineteenth century. His entertaining style
made him the most famous ukiyo-e printmaker of his generation. While best
known for his prints of people and landscapes he also designed about thirty
bird prints. Print 32 is one examplea. He typically exaggerated
the size of the bird’s beak and eyes. His birds were always active, either
flying or posed to suggest movement. Here the bullfinch was shown upside
down in a position that it could not maintain for long. Dark blue was one
of Hokusai’s favorite colors and here he completely filled the background
with it. His bird and flower subjects usually had a symbolic association.
Both the bullfinch and cherry flowers are symbols of the spring season in
Japan.
a See Narazaki (1970) for additional
examples.
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32 Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
by Hokusai Katsushika, 185 mm x 250 mm, woodblock print
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6) Taito II Katsushika
Taito II is the name
Fumio Fujiwara signed on his art. He took the name Taito II Katsushika
because he was a student of Hokusai Katsushika who, for a short time, used
the art name of Taito. Taito II produced more than twenty bird prints in
the mid-1800s. His style was identical to that of Hokusai. For example, his
drawing of a Eurasian tree sparrow in print 33 showed the same pointed
wings and exaggerated head size as the sparrow drawn by Hokusai in print
23. In this print the sparrow was paired with brightly colored flowers
which was typical of both Taito II’s bird prints and Hokusai’s bird prints.
The flower and bird species depicted often had a similar symbolic
association. For example, the chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum grandiflorum)
and sparrow in this print were both associated with honor and with the
autumn season. The vertical format of print 33 was typical of most ukiyo-e
bird prints. However, Taito II also used a horizontal format for other
prints (e.g., print 26) which was much less common.
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33 Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer
montanus) by Taito II Katsushika, 125 mm x 380 mm, woodblock print
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(7) Hiroshige II
Utagawa
Hiroshige II’s original
name was Chimpei Morita. He was a student of Hiroshige Utagawa and when his
teacher died he not only took his name but also married his daughter. Like
Taito II, Hiroshige II used the same style as his teacher for his bird
prints. Colorful birds, attractive flowers and poems about them appeared in
most of Hiroshige II’s prints. Print 34 featuring the brightly colored
common kingfisher is an example. Hiroshige II published about thirty bird
prints in the mid-1800s which was much less than Hiroshige’s total of more
than six hundred prints.
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34 Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) by
Hiroshige II Utagawa, 165 mm x 225 mm, woodblock print courtesy of the
Rhode Island School of Design
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(8) Utamaro Kitagawa
Utamaro published about
twenty bird prints in the late 1700sa. Print 35 is one example.
Some of his depictions of birds, including the pair of Japanese quail in
this print, were among the most accurately drawn by ukiyo-e printmakers. He
showed finer details of a bird’s feather pattern than most other artists.
The feathers of these two quail are a good example of that fine detail. The
quail is associated with poverty in Japan because its mottled plumage
brings to mind worn out clothing. Birds chosen for depiction by Utamaro
usually had a symbolic association.
a He also published bird prints in picture
book format for which he is perhaps better known. His most famous book,
entitled Momochidori Kyōka Awase (i.e., Birds Compared in Humorous
Verses) was reprinted by Meech-Pekarik and Kenney (1981).
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35 Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
by Utamaro Kitagawa,175 mm x 260 mm, woodblock print
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(9) Shigenaga
Nishimura
Shigenaga was one of the
pioneers of ukiyo-e bird printmaking. Print 36 is one of about a dozen he
published in the early 1700s. Typical of prints produced then, colors other
than black were used only sparingly. Even without full color the duck
depicted here was easily recognized as a mandarin duck because of its
distinctive shape. Shigenaga’s style was strongly influenced by Chinese
bird-and-flower painting in which birds were paired with flowers. The size
of flowers was often exaggerated as was the case for the Japanese iris (Iris
ensata) shown in the background of this picture. All prints were
oriented vertically similar to the Chinese scroll paintings whose style
they copied.
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36 Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) by
Shigenaga Nishimura, 155 mm x 310 mm, woodblock print
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