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Introduction

Feathers, Flowers, Talons and Fangs

Power and Serenity in Japanese Nature Prints
February 2 - June 10, 2007

Fierce tigers and awe-inspiring dragons - these subjects hardly seem to fit into the same category as delicate songbirds like the nightingale, and blossoms as ephemeral as the cherry. Even so, a wide array of flora and fauna and bugs and beasts appears in Japanese prints of the genre traditionally known as "birds and flowers" (kacho). These Edo-period prints (1603 - 1867) reflect the richness and beauty of nature as perceived by some of Japan’s greatest printmakers.The profound Japanese appreciation for the natural world is mirrored in many aspects of Japanese art and literature. Matsuo Basho (1644 - 94), considered the greatest author of haiku poetry of the Edo period, sets the stage for appreciation of the works on view here as he explains his understanding of the relation between man, nature, and poetry: For a person who has the [poetic] spirit, everything he sees becomes a flower, and everything he imagines turns into a moon. Those who do not see the flower are no different from barbarians, and those who do not imagine the flower are akin to beasts. Leave barbarians and beasts behind; follow the ways of the universe and return to nature.(Trans. in Makoto Ueda, Literary and Art Theories in Japan. Cleveland: 1967, pp. 147 - 48.)This selection of approximately 60 works is drawn from the gift to the Museum of about 720 outstanding bird-and-flower prints (kachoga) donated by Mrs. John D. (Abby Aldrich) Rockefeller, Jr., in 1934/38. Few collections can rival the depth and scope of RISD’s holdings, which are exceptional and span the development of kachoga during the Edo period (1603 - 1867). We invite you to take this rare opportunity to savor the lush visual content of these wonderful prints and enrich your understanding of the Japanese printmaking tradition.

Feathers, Flowers, Talons, and Fangs: Power and Serenity in Japanese Nature Prints is organized by chronology and theme. Roughly chronological groupings fill the two long outer walls. The inner and the end walls are hung with prints and paintings that focus on specific themes.

Titles of artworks are given in Japanese only when a Japanese title actually appears on the object. Unless otherwise noted, the Japanese poetry was translated by Yoshinori Munemura. The Chinese translations were made by Deborah Del Gais with the assistance of Huang I-fen. Transcriptions of the Japanese poetry are based on the texts cited in Tadashi Kobayashi, et al. Yomigaeru bi, hana to tori to, Rokkufera ukiyo-e korekushon ten/Four Hundred Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints from the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Collection of Japanese Prints. Tokyo: 1990. Please note that the poetry on the privately commissioned prints (surimono) has not been translated due to its complexity.

Selected Objects

Utagawa Hiroshige

Tree Sparrows and Japanese Morning Glories (Asagao ni suzume), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Dragonfly and Hardy Begonia (Tonbo to shûkaidô), 1830's

Okumura Masanobu

Falcon tethered to perch, 1710's

Rintei

Camellias and tea-utensil box (Seika: Tsubaki to chabako), 1820's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Duck in Snow (Setchû ashi no kamo), 1830's

Isoda Koryūsai

Pheasant, bird and peonies (Botan ni kinkei to kotori), 1770's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Pampas Grass; Swallows; The Five Virtues, ca. 1850's

Japanese, Japan Tokyo

Cormorants on boat and pinks (Nadeshiko ni ubune), 1770's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Crane, wave and rising sun (Kyokujitsu nami ni tsuru), 1830's

Utagawa Sadahide

Java sparrow and rice plants (Kome no hana ni suzume), 1834

Utagawa Hiroshige

The hundred thousand-tsubo plain, Susaki, Fukagawa (Fukagawa susaki jumantsubo), 1857

Katsushika Hokusai

Cuckoo and azaleas (Hototogisu satsuki), ca. 1834

Katsushika Hokusai

Cuckoo and azaleas (Hototogisu satsuki), ca. 1834

Utagawa Hiroshige

Barn Swallows and Peach Blossoms under Full Moon (Tsukiyo momo ni tsubame), early 1830s

Utagawa Hiroshige

Pheasant on snow-covered pine (Yukimatsu ni kiji), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Iris (Kakitsubata), 1856.4

Utagawa Hiroshige

Black-naped Oriole and Confederate Rose (Fuyô ni kôraiuguisu), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Morning Glories (Asagao), 1854, 2nd month

Sumiyoshi

The Tale of Genji, late 1600s

Utagawa Hiroshige

Mandarin ducks in stream (Kareashi ni oshidori), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Peacock and Peonies (Botan ni kujaku), early 1840's

Nishimuraya Yohachi, publisher

Butterfly and peonies (Botan ni cho), ca. 1833-1834

Kitagawa Utamaro

Mallard ducks, kingfisher (Kamo kawasemi), ca. 1790

Katsukawa Shunsen

Cranes, pines and rising sun (Hinode to matsu to tsuru), 1810's

Kitagawa Utamaro

Quail, skylark (Uzura hibari), ca. 1790

Utagawa Hiroshige

Long-tailed Bird and Plum (Ume ni tori), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Butterfly and Peonies (Botan ni cho), 1830's

Katsushika Hokusai

Shrike and thistles (Mozu oniazami), ca. 1834

Wang Gai

Orchids, Butterfly, and Rock (Jiezi yuan hua zhuan), possibly printed in 1701

Mori Shunkei

Camellia and narcissus (Tsubaki to suisen), ca. 1810'S

Shunpudo Noshiro Ryuko, block carver

Chrysanthemums and butterflies (Kiku to botan), 1789

Katsushika Hokusai

Poppies (Keshi), late 1820s

Kitagawa Utamaro

Goshawk, thick-billed shrike (Taka mozu), ca. 1790

Kitao Shigemasa

Dragon and Tiger (Ryuko), 1770s

Utagawa Hiroshige

Autumn: Judo's Chrysanthemums in a deep ravine in China (Aki), mid 1840's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Parrot on Pine Branch (Matsu ni inko), 1830's

Niwa Tōkei

Nandina berries and wild roses in snow (Setchu nanten to yamabuki), 1810's

Attributed to Lu Fu

Crane on a Snow-Laden Plum Tree, 1600s

Kitao Masayoshi

Silver pheasants (Hakukan), 1790

Keisai Eisen

Bamboo and moon (Tsuki to take), 1820's

Katsushika Hokusai

Cranes on Snow-covered Pine Branch (Yukimatsu ni tsuru), late 1820s

Kitao Masayoshi

Wagtail (Sekirei), 1790

Isoda Koryūsai

White herons and snow-covered reeds (Yukiashi ni shirasagi), ca. 1773

Katsushika Hokusai

Bullfinch and weeping cherry (Uso shidarezakura), ca. 1834

Totoya Hokkei

Cranes and young pines (Komatsu ni tsuru), ca. 1820

Katsushika Hokusai

Cockerels, chicks and spiderworts (Tsuyukusa ni niwatori), mid 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Peacock and Peonies (Botan ni kujaku), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Japanese Crane and Wave (Nami ni tanchô), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Tree Sparrows and Camellia in Snow (Setchû tsubaki ni suzume), 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

Moon, begonias, bell flowers and ominaeshi (Tsuki ni shukaido to kikyo to ominaeshi), 1853.1

Attributed to Suzuki Harunobu

Cat, butterfly and begonias (Kaido ni cho to neko), ca. 1767

Katsushika Hokusai

Hawk and Cherry Blossoms (Kaido ni taka), ca. 1834

Utagawa Hiroshige

Tree Sparrows and Camellia in Snow (Setchû tsubaki ni suzume), 1830's

Japanese, Japan Tokyo

Hawk and loquat tree (Biwa ni taka), 1770's-1780's

Isoda Koryūsai

Cockerels fighting under flowering peach (Niwatori awase to momo), ca. 1773

Katsushika Hokusai

Snake, pheasant and canna (Kanna ni kiji to hebi), mid 1830's

Utagawa Hiroshige

The everlasting chrysanthemum (Toshigiku), 1843-1847

Toyohiro Utagawa

Hawk and white plum (Shiraume ni taka), 1810's

Kubo Shunman

Pheasants and Heath Roses (Boke ni kiji), ca. 1810

Utagawa Hiroshige

Bird and loquats (Biwa ni kotori), 1830's

Kitao Masayoshi

(Eurasian) Jay (Yokin), 1790

Mori Kansai

Fruit and a Taihu Rock, 1873

Mori Kansai

Arrowroot Vine, Shrimp, and Fish, 1873

Wu Faxiang, editor

Old Letterpapers from the Wisteria Studio, 1981

Hu Zhengyan, compiler

Shizhuzhai jian pu (Letterpapers from the Ten Bamboo Studio), 1952

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Feathers, Flowers, Talons and Fangs : Power and Serenity in Japanese Nature Prints

February 2 - June 10, 2007
View Checklist PDF

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