81 Kōgyo Tsukioka 1869 – 1927 Barley at Sunrise

publisher: Matsuki Heikichi (Daikokuya Heikichi)

One of about fifty kachō-e (bird-and-flower) prints in the nearly square shikishiban format, designed by Tsukioka Kōgyo for the publisher Daikokuya (Matsuki Heikichi) around the turn of the 20th century. Better known for his Noh-related works, Kōgyo here turns to nature, expressing a serene sensitivity to light and atmosphere.

Green barley stalks rise against a luminous orange sky at sunrise, rendered with painterly gradations and delicate tonal balance.
The quiet elegance of line and restrained color evoke the stillness and transient beauty of dawn.

These shikishiban prints, originally aimed at both domestic and export audiences, demonstrate Kōgyo’s refined command of composition and his poetic response to the rhythms of the natural world.