Kingfisher on Snowy Stump

A kingfisher perches on a snow-covered tree stump, its electric blue back and orange breast providing vivid color contrast against the white of accumulated snow. The kingfisher was one of Koson's favorite subjects — a small, jewel-bright bird that allowed him to deploy intense blue in compositions otherwise dominated by the muted tones of winter. The 1935 date places this among his late works, when his technique was most refined; the bokashi gradation in sky and snow demonstrates decades of practice.