Rock Ptarmigan (rai-cho)
Artist/Culture
Azechi, Umetaro
(Japanese, 1902–1999)
Date1978
MediumWoodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensionssheet: 23 x 26.7 cm (9 1/16 x 10 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineGift of Mrs. David J. Milliken
Object number2006.522
Label TextThe rock ptarmigan (or snow grouse) is the bird emblematic of the Japanese Alps. The depicted bird is female, with summer plumage barred with brown and black markings. In winter both sexes grow feather snowshoes and their plumage turns white except for black on the tail (usually hidden at rest). Adult ptarmigans are almost exclusively vegetarian, eating buds, twigs and berries, but young chicks feed heavily on insects, spiders, and snails.
The common Japanese name, rai-cho, means "thunder bird." This name may originally have derived from rei-cho (spirit bird), a name given to the ptarmigan by mountain ascetics (yamabushi) who first climbed Japan's high peaks to fast and pray. These monks considered the ptarmigan to be the spirit helper of powerful deities that lived on the mountains.ProvenanceMrs. David J. Milliken, Worcester, MAOn View
Not on view
