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).

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