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
River Fireworks — 鴨川花火
Not set
Woodblock print
Wisteria
1935
Color woodblock print
March 1967 calendar page with image of red flower
c. 1967
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Scops Owl in Flight, Cherry Blossoms and Full Moon
Shōwa period, 1926
Woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper
Sakura Flowers — 桜花
Woodblock print
Chrysanthemum
1969
Etching and aquatint, ink on paper
Winter - Cold Camellia Road
2022
Mezzotint
Vent Violet
Woodblock print
Violet
1959-1960
Japanese Iris - 花菖蒲
Woodblock print
Crimson Lotus, White Lotus - 紅蓮白蓮
Woodblock print
Eight Plank Bridge (Lady in Iris Garden)
Woodblock print
Japanese Crane
Woodblock print
Peony
Woodblock print
Two book pages, eagle and crane
Woodblock print
Chapter 33 - Leaves of Wisteria - 藤裏葉
Woodblock print
Mitate No.12 - Flower (Tachi-hana)
1998
Mitate No.74 - Wallflower Camellia (Katasumi no hana)
2006
Mitate No.87 - Lotus (Hasu)
2012
Golden-Rayed Lily — 山百合 - やまゆり
Woodblock print
Golden-Rayed Lily and Cosmos — やまゆりとコスモス
Woodblock print
Lily Magnolia - 木蓮
Woodblock print
No Series Camellia In Winter
Woodblock print
Summer Hydrangea - 夏・紫陽花
Woodblock print
Untitled- bird in flight
Woodblock print
Below the Duck Pond
1982
Color woodblock print
Flower 13
Woodblock print
Flower 14
Woodblock print
Flower 15
Woodblock print
Flower 302
Woodblock print
Flower 304
Woodblock print
Flower 502
Woodblock print
Flower K 33
Woodblock print
Sun and Bird
Woodblock print
Bird and Eye (Tori to gankyutai)
1959
Color woodblock print; edition 4/50
Bird and Eyeballs
1958
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Flower
1979
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Crying Bird
December 1957
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Fossil "A Flower and the Birds" (8)
1968
Color lithograph with embossing; edition 9/60
LADY WITH BIRD IN CAGE
Woodblock print
A Boy and His Rooster (Artist's son, Jumpei, aged 12)
Woodblock print
Bird's Eye View of Sentocho
Woodblock print
Boy and Rooster
1957
Woodblock print
Boy and Rooster in Moonlight
1959
Woodblock print
Death of a Bird
1956
Woodblock print
Fallen Bird from Yodaka no Hoshi
Woodblock print
Ashi ni shigi (Snipe bird in reeds)
1900-1920
Color woodcut
Bee Next to Flowering Wisteria
1920s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Black-crowned Night Heron in Snow
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Dragonfly and Lotus
1920s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Heron on Branch
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Heron or Egret
c. 1900–1945
Woodblock print
Iris
1930s
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica
Kingfisher with Lotus Flower
Shōwa period, early to mid 20th century
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Lotus
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Magpie with Pink and White Magnolia Blossoms
Shōwa period, circa 1931
Woodblock print in "ōban" format; ink and color on paper
Night Heron
c. 1900–1945
Woodblock print
Owl
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Rooster and Hen with Chicks
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Rooster and Weasel
c. 1928–1930
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
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.