Cormorants is a nature subject that likely belongs to Kasamatsu's Unsodo period, featuring the bolder graphic approach of his later career. Standard Unsodo editions are available in the $200-$600 range. Cormorant fishing (ukai) is a traditional Japanese subject, and this print appeals to collectors interested in both wildlife art and cultural themes.
Cormorants — likely the Japanese cormorant or the great cormorant common along coastal Japan — appear in a composition focused on the birds themselves rather than a specific landscape setting. Kasamatsu was drawn to the cormorant as a subject combining striking visual form with cultural resonance: these birds were used in ukai cormorant fishing, a practice with a history of over 1,300 years that was still practiced along rivers including the Nagara in Kasamatsu's lifetime. The birds' angular postures and dark plumage gave him sharp graphic material.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Cormorants was created by Shiro Kasamatsu (笠松紫浪).
Cormorants uses Bokashi, Nishiki-e, and Moku-hanga, on woodblock print.
Cormorants was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Cormorants depicts birds & flowers, rivers & lakes, and animals.
