Little Cuckoo And Azaleas
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
(Japanese, 1760–1849)
Dateabout 1830
Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper; chuban
Dimensions24.1 x 17.8 cm (9 1/2 x 7 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Object number1901.59.3078
DescriptionBird: Little Cuckoo, Cuculus poliocephalus LathamLabel TextLittle Cuckoo and Azaleas Artist: Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) Date: About 1834 (early edition) Bird: Little Cuckoo, Cuculus poliocephalus Latham Signed: Zen Hokusai Iitsu hitsu Censor's seal: kiwame Publisher: Eijudo (Nishimuraya Yohachi) Woodblock print; ink and color on paper; chuban John Chandler Bancroft Collection 1901.59.3078 The haunting call of the elusive Little Cuckoo (hototogisu) is often heard at dawn. The cuckoo-its name often written with the characters for "time" and "bird"-is said to announce the arrival of summer, remind farmers to plant rice, appear as a messenger of death or inspire poets to compose verses about unrequited love. This print allows the viewer to catch a glimpse of the cuckoo as it is unexpectedly appears, descending towards a cluster of azalea blossoms (satsProvenanceJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
On View
Not on view
Utagawa Hiroshige I 歌川 広重
early 1830s
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1804
