Hawk Woman (Taka no onna no saku)

"Hawk Woman (Taka no onna no saku)" — the named version of this celebrated subject, edition 106/200 from 1955 printed in 1958 — is among Munakata's most widely circulated prints, the large edition indicating the demand his female-bird hybrid subjects generated. The composition brings together the hawk's fierce, lateral energy and the woman's frontal, composed presence in a figure that inhabits both avian and human registers simultaneously. The large edition is characteristic of Munakata's approach to his most successful subjects: making the work available at scale while maintaining the direct, hand-carved quality of each print.