92 Kōgyo Tsukioka 1869 – 1927 Mandarin Ducks and a Flowering Plum Branch

publisher: Matsuki Heikichi (Daikokuya Heikichi)

A delicate kachō-e composition of a pair of mandarin ducks beneath a blossoming plum branch, one of about fifty bird-and-flower designs created by Tsukioka Kōgyo around the turn of the 20th century for the publisher Daikokuya (Matsuki Heikichi). Rendered in the intimate shikishiban format – a nearly square sheet inspired by traditional poetry and painting mounts – the print captures refined stillness and natural harmony.

Kōgyo, the adopted son and pupil of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, is best known for his great Noh series Nōgakuzue and Nōga taikan.
In these nature studies, however, he reveals a painterly sensibility: subtle gradations, elegant use of metallic pigments, and a gentle emotional resonance. The pairing of plum blossoms and mandarin ducks, symbols of spring and marital fidelity, evokes serenity and timeless beauty in a quietly contemplative mood.