Original Japanese drawing.

Technique: Watercolour / ink on Japanese paper (Washi).

Artist unknown: Nakamura (Futsetsu?) Kantei School.

Date: ca. 1880

Kachō-e (bird- and flowerpaintings) is a genre of painting that developed in China. According to the Chinese tradition, it encompasses: flowers, birds, fishes and insects. Also other motifs from nature are included in the genre, amongst them pets, non-flowering plants and fruits. As with many forms of Chinese art, a Japanese variant of this genre developped: kachō-ga (花鳥画) or kachō-e (花鳥絵).

The bird-and-flower motif started appearing in Japanese art around the Muromachi period during the 14th century, and developed its own distinct style. It also entered ukiyo-e woodblock printing, where it was known as kachō-e (花鳥絵). Especially the shin hanga movement produced a number of works with this motif starting in the Meiji era. Artists working with this were Ohara Koson (1877–1945) and Ito Sozan (1884–?), as well as Imao Keinen (1845–1924).

Medical prints