If you sit with chickens you won't fly like an eagle

This print belongs to a group of works in which Karhu paired aphoristic titles — proverbs and adages — with bird imagery in the loose tradition of kacho-e. The composition likely contrasts the two creatures named in the proverb, perhaps showing barnyard fowl below and an eagle aloft, or arranging them in symbolic juxtaposition across the sheet. Karhu's bird subjects favor stylized, flat forms over naturalistic plumage, with bold sumi outline and broad areas of solid color that emphasize silhouette. The print probably uses restrained earth and indigo tones, with fine line work picking out feathers and feet. Unlike traditional Edo-period kacho-e by artists such as Hiroshige, which idealized birds within a refined natural setting, Karhu's proverb prints carry an explicit didactic or playful tone, drawing on Western folk-saying traditions filtered through Japanese woodblock conventions. Within his body of work, these proverb-and-bird compositions form a counterpoint to the architectural Kyoto scenes for which he was best known, demonstrating his range within the medium.