SHIROI FUKUROU (White Owl)

SHIROI FUKUROU — White Owl — rendered in Kimura's graphic woodblock style. The white owl (shiro fukuro) — whether a snowy owl, a barn owl, or a locally observed white-phase raptor — combined the owl's associations with wisdom and nocturnal mystery with the visual drama of white plumage. The barn owl's heart-shaped face and ghostly white underparts made it one of the most atmospheric of all owl subjects, and Kimura's contemporary treatment gives the bird's white form full graphic prominence against a contrasting dark ground.