Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重

These sketches and prints reveal Hiroshige’s wide knowledge of avian and botanical subject matter. Each bird is an identifiable species, as are the plants and trees they are paired with. In the far-left print, a Java sparrow perches on a blossoming plum tree, while the print on the right pairs a kingfisher with irises and other flowers. The similarity of the sparrows in the sketch and the print suggests that the drawing was likely created as a preliminary design.

This grouping also provides insight into the production of tanzaku (vertical strip) prints in Japan during the mid-1800s. Woodblocks came in standard sizes, and artists prepared compositions that filled the entire surface of the block. Here three compositions, separated by vertical lines, were fit onto a single block. After printing, the prints were cut into separate strips. [see also 2007.120.3 and 34.208].

These three narrow vertical-format compositions (ko-tanzaku) again illustrate how several prints could be produced from a single sheet of paper. Each color was printed from blocks on which all three designs were carved together.