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
Bird
1962
Woodblock print
No. 12, Actor Onoe Baikō VII as Wisteria Maiden
1952
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Hanafubuki (Falling Cherry Blossoms) — 花吹雪
1953
Woodblock print
Bird on branch of fruit tree
Woodblock print
FLOWER ARRANGEMENT
Woodblock print
Peony Under Winter Straw Shelter - 藁ぼっち牡丹 (1)
1890
Woodblock print
Bird and eggplant
Not set
Drawing
Bird on a branch
Not set
Drawing
Camellia Garden — 牡丹
1898
Woodblock print
Iris Garden
1904
Woodblock print
Doll Clothed in Chrysanthemum Flowers — 菊人形
Not set
Woodblock print
Tree Peony — 牡丹
Not set
Woodblock print
Ikebana- Flower Arrangement — 生花
1898
Woodblock print
Iris — 菖蒲
1897
Woodblock print
Bijin on a Crane
Not set
Woodblock print
Plum Trees and Dove — 梅林図
Not set
Woodblock print
Bird Cage
circa 1930-1950
Woodblock print
Owl and Cherry
1930
Woodblock print
Dancing Figure (Sagimusume) - 鷲娘
Woodblock print
Flower vendor and woman who arranges flowers
Woodblock print
Butterfly and Blue Flower
Woodblock print
Bird
Woodblock print
A Heron
Woodblock print
Woman Calendar, Flower Viewing (AP)
Woodblock print
Japanese crane and two chicks
Woodblock print
Bird on branch
Woodblock print
Azalea
Woodblock print
White Heron
Woodblock print
Abstract bird in forest
Woodblock print
Bird
Woodblock print
Bijin and sparrow
Woodblock print
Flower
Woodblock print
Dancing Figure (Camellia)
Woodblock print
A Frog on Lotus Leaf
Woodblock print
Iris and poem (not translated)
Woodblock print
Holding a Sunflower
Woodblock print
Bird on a branch
Woodblock print
Flower basket
Woodblock print
Crow in Snow (Settchû karasu)
Woodblock print
Owl (1)
Woodblock print
Pheasant
Woodblock print
Heron on a Snowy Night
Woodblock print
Two Iris
Woodblock print
The Shores of Kitsurin Shoka Inlet — 吉林松花江岸-きつりんしょうかこう
Woodblock print
Camellia
Woodblock print
Water Lily
Woodblock print
Omu, Parrot
Woodblock print
Canna Lily
Woodblock print
Pigeon
Woodblock print
Tree peony
Woodblock print
Orchid 1
Woodblock print
Chrysanthemum
Woodblock print
Flower 3
Woodblock print
Tsubaki - Camellia
Woodblock print
SHIROI HATO (white pigeon)
Woodblock print
Owl and Red Fruits
Woodblock print
White Egret- Heron
Woodblock print
Owl
Woodblock print
Trees and Bird
Woodblock print
Encho Tsuru- Dome Crane
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.