Night Heron
by Ohara Koson
- Date:
- c. 1900–1945
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
by Ohara Koson
Koson's bird-and-flower prints are his most numerous and accessible works — he designed ~450 prints total. Common subjects in average condition remain widely available. Quality of impression, color fidelity, and publisher seal (Kokkeido preferred over Watanabe) are the key value drivers.
A night heron — most likely the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Japan's most common nocturnal wader — stands or moves in low light, its stocky form and large reddened eyes distinguishing it from the more elegant egrets and herons that populate Koson's catalog. The night heron's nocturnal habits made it a natural subject for his moonlit and evening compositions, and its compact, hunched posture gave him a distinctly different formal problem from the tall, upright wading birds.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Night Heron was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in c. 1900–1945.
Night Heron was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1900–1945).
Night Heron depicts birds & flowers and night scenes.
