Insects Among Autumn Leaves,

orig. c. 1900

by Tsukioka Kōgyo

About This Print

One of about fifty kachō-e (bird and flower prints) in the shikishiban (almost square) format. These prints were designed by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927) for the publisher Daikokuya (Matsuki Heikichi) around the turn of the 20th century, who reprinted many of them at a later date, mainly for the export market, such as this collection's print. 

Source: The Beauty of Silence: Nō and Nature Prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), Robert Schaap & J. Thomas Rimer, Hotei Publishing, 2010, p. 146.

"Four insects, a praying mantis (kamakiri), horned scarab beetle (kabuto mushi), cricket (korogi), and snail (katatsumuri) crawl across maple leaves. Insects have long been a theme in Japanese art, and a particularly associated with genre known as kachō-e or kachō-ga (literally: 'flower and bird pictures').

"Of the insects portrayed in this whimsical, somewhat idyllic scene, only the praying mantis appears ready to strike."

Other Impressions/Editions

This collection's print is a later edition displaying the characteristic black border found on later editions of Daikokuya published shikishiban format prints by Kōgyo. This later edition uses a less elaborate and les subtle color printing as can be seen in the comparison between two earlier editions and this collection's print shown below. 

The MADE IN JAPAN stamp on the print's verso seen below helps us date this print to the period between 1921, when the specific wording "Made in Japan" (rather than "Made in Nippon," for example) was required for imported goods into the United States, until 1939 when imports of Japanese products essentially ceased. 

Print Details