Heron Maiden
- Date:
- c. 1930
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art of Japan
Description
"Heron Maiden," from around 1930, depicts the figure from the classical Japanese legend of the Heron Maiden — a supernatural being who appears as a beautiful woman but is revealed to be a white heron in disguise. This mythological subject allowed Kobayakawa to synthesize bijin-ga with the rich tradition of supernatural feminine figures in Japanese art and literature, giving his characteristically modern woman an otherworldly dimension. The heron's white plumage translates into the pale skin and white garments of the maiden, creating a compositional poetry between bird and woman.
More Prints by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi
Applying Make-up (Keshô), from the series Two Views of Modern Fashions (Kindai jisei yosooi no uchi ni)
Not set
Woodblock print
Eyes, Hitomi, no. 4 from the series Modern Styles of Makeup
1/1931
Woodblock print
The Mistress Okichi
1932
Japanese Color Woodblock Print on handmade paper
Makeup in Modern Times
1930
Woodblock Print
More Birds & Flowers Prints
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Heron Maiden was created by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (小早川清) in c. 1930.
Heron Maiden was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1930).
Heron Maiden depicts birds & flowers.