Cranes

Cranes have long appeared as auspicious emblems in Japanese art. Screen paintings of cranes often focused on four behaviors—flying, nesting, singing, and feeding—as a way of capturing the birds’ vitality. Here, eight birds swoop over waves toward a rice paddy occupied by a flock of fifteen. Among them two species stand out: the magnificent Grus Japonensis, with a white body, a black neck and tail feathers, and a bare red crown; and the less showy Grus vipio, with slate-gray feathers, a white head, and bare red skin encircling the eye. The background and the rice paddy’s raised borders are covered in gold leaf, creating a dreamlike setting for this display of avian beauty.

Kano Ujinobu was the head of a minor branch of the Kano school of painting, whose professional artists served the warrior class. The military elite hunted cranes using falcons, and had opportunities to witness and admire cranes in the wild.