Birds & Flowers Prints (1639)
Birds and flowers (kacho-ga) form one of the three classical subject categories of East Asian painting, alongside landscapes and figures. In Japanese woodblock printmaking, the tradition produced some of the medium's most technically accomplished works, demanding exceptional carving precision for feather details and botanical accuracy. Hokusai's "Small Flowers" series and Hiroshige's bird-and-flower prints of the 1830s established kacho-ga as a major ukiyo-e genre. These works combined natural observation with poetic sensibility, often incorporating verses that amplified the seasonal or emotional associations of their subjects. The surimono tradition — privately commissioned luxury prints — particularly favored bird-and-flower subjects, producing exquisite small-format works with metallic pigments and blind embossing. Shin-hanga artists continued the tradition with renewed naturalistic ambition. Ohara Koson (also known as Shoson) became the genre's most prolific modern practitioner, creating hundreds of bird-and-flower designs that combined scientific observation with decorative elegance. His prints of egrets, crows, and songbirds in atmospheric settings became internationally popular. The genre demands particular technical skill in color gradation and fine-line carving, making kacho-ga prints a showcase for the collaborative craft of designer, carver, and printer.
Artists Known for Birds & Flowers
Two Owls
Woodblock print
Untitled (kimura-yoshiharu)
Woodblock print
Flowers and Vase A
Woodblock print
Elegant Pleasures: The Scent of Flowers, left (Furyu hana no ka asobi, ge)
c. 1783
Color woodblock print; left sheet of oban diptych
Untitled (kimura-yoshiharu)
Woodblock print
February — 其二 観梅
1898
Woodblock print
Two Birds Flying Over Mountains
Woodblock print
Cosmos No 8
Woodblock print
Fashionable Courageous Flowers
1860, 2nd lunar month
Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
Untitled (kimura-yoshiharu)
Woodblock print
A Collection of Flower and Bird Paintings (Keinen kachō gafu), vol.2 (Summer)
景年花鳥畫譜 夏之部
1891
Woodblock-printed book; ink and color on paper
Ladies and Birds
Woodblock print
June — 其六 菖蒲
1898
Woodblock print
Birds in Flight
Woodblock print
Birds flying over Forest (Jukai o tobu tori)
1967
Color woodblock print; edition 26/50
Sugiura Kazutoshi
Woodblock print
San Mon Ban (Flowers)
Woodblock print
Gentoo Penguins
Woodblock print
Remaining Flowers
1981–86
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Pleasures of the Four Seasons: Colors and Scents of Flowers, left (Shiki no asobi hana no iroka, ge)
c. 1783
Color woodblock print; left sheet of oban diptych
Untitled (kimura-yoshiharu)
Woodblock print
Untitled (kimura-yoshiharu)
Woodblock print
Hirugao - ひるがお
Woodblock print
April — 其四 牡丹
1898
Woodblock print
Daffodil No 3
Woodblock print
Letter from Birds
Woodblock print
Untitled (sugiura-kazutoshi)
Woodblock print
Chrysanthemums #3
Woodblock print
Curtain of Flowers
1981–86
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Les Paradisiers. Menado, Celebes 98/350
1937
Woodblock print
Hummingbirds and Fuchsia
Woodblock print
Camelia (I)
Woodblock print
No 84 Pansy
Woodblock print
Camelias
1941
Woodblock print
Untitled (sugiura-kazutoshi)
Woodblock print
Amano, Kunihiro
Woodblock print
Daffodils
Woodblock print
Herons
Woodblock print
Flying
Woodblock print
Untitled (PATinKyoto 2022)
Water-based woodblock print on washi
Young Woman Amid Morning Glories 17/30
1956
Woodblock print
Untitled (sugiura-kazutoshi)
Woodblock print
Wild Geese
1920
Woodblock print
Tulips in Vase
ca. 1921
Crows C
Woodblock print
Inside a Cage
Woodblock print
Unknown- white calla lilies
Woodblock print
Arrowhead
Woodblock print
Woodpecker
1950s–1960s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Dafffodil
Woodblock print
Boguri
Quails and Bush Clover
Not set
Woodblock print
Yellow Canary
Woodblock print
Untitled (aoyama-masaharu)
Woodblock print
Carnations and Spoon on a Tray
Woodblock print
Crete-de-coq
early 1930s
Keinen's Album of Birds and Flowers (Keinen kachō gafu) — Winter volume
景年花鳥畫譜 冬之部
1892
Woodblock-printed book; ink and color on paper
Long Tail Cock
Woodblock print
Night Bird
Woodcut, water-based ink
Fukujuso and Stones
Woodblock print
Related Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Birds and flowers (kacho-ga) form one of the three classical subject categories of East Asian painting, alongside landscapes and figures. In Japanese woodblock printmaking, the tradition produced some of the medium's most technically accomplished works, demanding exceptional carving precision for feather details and botanical accuracy.
Sugiura Kazutoshi, Ohara Koson, and Kimura Yoshiharu are among the artists most associated with birds & flowers in our collection. Browse the full list of artists who explored this subject above.
Hanga currently catalogues 1639 prints tagged with birds & flowers, spanning ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku-hanga traditions where applicable.