Sparrow

Sparrow is a shikishi-e (squarish print, traditionally about 25-27 cm on a side) catalogued by the Japanese Art Open Database, signed and sealed by Seihō. The sparrow (suzume) has been a Shijō-school staple since Ōkyo and Goshun and is one of the most frequently encountered subjects in Seihō's printed output; this small-format design likely belonged to a published series of artist's sketches issued in album or portfolio form by a Kyoto publisher in the early twentieth century. The bird is rendered in confident [sumi](/glossary/sumi) line and a few touches of color, with Seihō's red name-seal at the corner. Shikishi-e formats were used for tipped-in album plates, for hanging miniatures, and for occasional gift prints; their small scale required tight composition and economical brush handling, both of which Seihō handled with characteristic ease. The sparrow as a subject carries deep classical associations in Japanese poetry and folktale (most famously in Shitakiri Suzume, the 'Tongue-cut Sparrow') and was treated in Kyoto-school painting as a vehicle for demonstrating brush-line virtuosity. The Japanese Art Open Database notes this impression is in good condition. The print would have been collectable in its own right or pasted into a multi-artist album of small works in the Kyoto manner.