Koson's vast output of ~450 designs spans birds, flowers, fish, insects, and occasional landscapes. While his large production keeps most prints accessible, early Kokkeido-period impressions with muted, elegant Meiji-era coloring are distinctly more sought after than the brighter later Watanabe editions.
A swan among reeds — the great white bird's body almost too large for the vertical composition, its neck curved in the characteristic S-shape of the mute swan at rest. Koson's 1928 color woodblock captures the swan's paradoxical combination of massive bulk and graceful form: the bird that is both the heaviest of flying creatures and one of the most elegant. The reeds provide a diagonal rhythm behind the swan's static presence, grounding the composition in a specific waterside habitat.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Swan and Reeds was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in 1928.
Swan and Reeds was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1928).
Swan and Reeds depicts birds & flowers, rivers & lakes, and animals.
