Bird and Flower painting “Mandarin Ducks in a Poud”

A male with a beautiful feather color is standing in front followed by a female. The mates are always together: the Japanese term, “oshidori,” happily married birds, came from the mates. The birds’ legs are drawn in omohan, without the black outer lines, which enables the depiction of the clearness and cleanness of the water. We can see the happily mated birds are swimming in the stream together. This is the best gift for a wedding.

Hiroshige Utagawa(1797-1858)

1797(Kansei 9) – 1858 (Ansei 5)

Hiroshige Ando was born the first son of the Ando Family, to a fire-watchman in Yaesu, Edo.  When he was 13, his parents died, and he took over his father’s position. However, what he really loved was drawing pictures. At the age of 15, he became an apprentice of Toyohiro Utagawa. During his early career as a painter, he mostly drew portraits of beautiful women and actors. “Famous Places in the Eastern Capital”, published in 1831, established him as one of the mainstream ukiyo-e painters in the era. He also succeeded in mastering perspective and structural drawings, using the deep azure tone today called ‘Hiroshige blue’, and shading. His masterpiece, “The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido”, started publishing in 1833, and became some of the best-known works of ukiyo-e. During his late life, he started working on the series of paintings, “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo”, in which his emotional attachment toward Edo was firmly portrayed. Because of the popularity, he ended up publishing one hundred and fifty views – fifty more than he planned.

Hiroshige's Kacho-Fugetsu: A Collection of Nature-Themed Paintings on Tanzaku"

A collection of artworks showcasing the personalities of various birds in seasonal landscapes. Accompanied by poems and verses, it can be enjoyed like a collection of short stories. It’s also a wonderful idea to display it in your room according to the seasons.