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
Unknown, child and bird
Woodblock print
Unknown, child and flower
Woodblock print
Unknown, Crane
Woodblock print
Unknown, Little Girl- Camellia
Woodblock print
Unknown, Sacred Crane
Woodblock print
Unknown, Young Girl In Kimono- Camellia
Woodblock print
Woman and bird, Yellow canary
Woodblock print
Woodpecker- LE — 啄木鳥
Woodblock print
Young Lady with Yellow Bird
Woodblock print
Mr Rooster and Mrs Hen
Woodblock print
November; Rake Market on the Day of Rooster
Woodblock print
Titmouse and Bird Cage
1960
Color woodblock print
Dog, Monkey, Bird, Haniwa - 埴輪・さる・とり・いぬ
Woodblock print
Rose and Bottle
1974
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Crow
1916
Woodblock print
Jungle Crow
1910
Woodblock print
Wisteria 2
Not set
Woodblock print
Long Scissor-tailed Bird on Bamboo Shoot
Onoe Baiko VII- Wisteria maiden
Not set
Woodblock print
Beauty and IKEBANA (flower arranging)
Woodblock print
FUJIMUSUME (wisteria daughter)
Woodblock print
MAIKO doing flower arranging
Woodblock print
Camellia
Woodblock print
Chinese Bell Flower
Woodblock print
Heron on a Snowy Night - woodblock
Woodblock print
Iris
Woodblock print
Magnolia
Woodblock print
Pink Peony
Woodblock print
Two Iris
Woodblock print
Two Iris - trial prints
Woodblock print
Winter Peony
Woodblock print
Bird and flowers
Woodblock print
Bird on ground and flowers
Woodblock print
Bird on seashore
Woodblock print
Blue Bird and Wild Grape Vine
Woodblock print
Flower on branch
Woodblock print
Hawk attacking
Woodblock print
Kingfisher in the rain
Woodblock print
Orchid flowers
Woodblock print
Peony and Grossbeak
Woodblock print
Rose
Woodblock print
The Actor Kataoka Gado IV as Miyuki in the play Shoutsushi Asagao Nikki (The Diary of the Morning Glory)
c. 1924
Color woodblock print; oban
Bird in Tree
Woodblock print
Blue bird
Woodblock print
Lotus
Woodblock print
Bird on a Chrysanthemum
Woodblock print
Blue Bird and Autumn Leaves
Woodblock print
Blue Bird in Autumn
Woodblock print
Heron in Rain
Woodblock print
Java Sparrow and Maple
Woodblock print
Peacock
Woodblock print
Rooster and Hen
Woodblock print
Azalea Garden
1935
Color woodblock print
Bird and Flower
1936
Woodblock print
Gion Hasaka Temple Torii Gate — 祇園八坂鳥居前
Not set
Woodblock print
Gion Yasaka Torii-mae - 祇園八坂鳥居前
1930
Woodblock print
Heron on a Snowy Night
Not set
Woodblock print
Hollyhock
1936
Woodblock print
Iris — 花菖蒲
circa 1950-1970
Woodblock print
Parrot and Quince
1950
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.