A Hawk on a Cliff near a Kiri Tree

Dated to circa 1716, this o-oban tan-e shows a hawk perched on a rocky cliff beside a kiri (paulownia) tree. The pairing of hawk and paulownia draws on classical East Asian iconography, where the noble bird and the imperially associated kiri tree both carried connotations of dignity and elevated status. Kiyomasu I's treatment applies the Torii workshop's bold linear style to the natural setting, with heavy contour lines defining the bird's silhouette, the cliff face, and the leaves of the paulownia. Hand-applied tan pigment enriches the plumage and the autumnal foliage. The print is one of several hawk subjects from Kiyomasu I's output, demonstrating that he treated kacho subjects with the same compositional ambition he brought to theatrical commissions. The Art Institute of Chicago holds this print.