Omu, Parrot
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Typical Price
Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
- Common examples: $100–$500
- Good impressions: $500–$2,000
- Premium/scarce: $2,000–$10,000
Description
A parrot (omu) rendered as a standalone bird subject — the tropical bird depicted with the vivid coloring and intelligent bearing that made it a popular subject in Japanese decorative arts from the Momoyama period onward. The parrot was associated with exoticism and with the imported natural world, its non-native status paradoxically making it a familiar presence in Japanese artistic tradition through centuries of depiction. Hodo's kachō-ga treatment applies the technical refinement of the shin-hanga printing process to this enduring decorative subject.
