Blue Parrot

A vivid blue parrot perches prominently in this oban woodblock print, its brilliant plumage rendered with saturated pigments that make the bird the undeniable focal point. Ishikawa Toraji departs from his usual bijin-ga subjects to explore the kacho-e tradition of bird-and-flower imagery, bringing a modern sensibility to the genre. The parrot's feathers are built up through multiple impression layers, creating a sense of depth and iridescence. Toraji's treatment of animal subjects reveals a keen observational eye and a willingness to experiment beyond the figure studies for which he is best known.