Cock and Hen

A [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) subject depicting a cockerel and hen, this print belongs to a domestic and farmyard tradition within Japanese nature printing distinct from the wild bird subjects more common in [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) work. Roosters in particular appeared frequently in New Year prints, as the cock is one of the twelve zodiac animals and its crowing greets the dawn. Kotozuka's Kyoto studio context suggests this may have been produced as a seasonal gift print. The composition likely shows the two birds in a yard or garden setting, the cock's iridescent plumage — tail feathers, comb, and wattles — rendered through carefully registered color blocks to capture the metallic sheen of the feathers, while the hen's quieter brown tones provide compositional contrast.