Cormorant — Unotori

A cormorant — known in Japanese as unotori — stands with striking poise, its dark plumage offset by the pale ground of the composition. Kasamatsu studied birds with a naturalist's eye, observing the characteristic postures and surface textures that distinguish species without resorting to scientific dryness. The cormorant's compressed neck, hook-tipped bill, and spread wings for drying were well-known to Japanese audiences as the instruments of traditional cormorant fishing, lending the image historical as well as natural resonance.