Kingfisher and Iris
Artist: Ohara Shoson (Japanese, 1877-1945)
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962)
Date: 1926
Dimensions:
overall: 15 1/4 x 10 1/4 in. (38.7 x 26 cm)
image: 14 1/4 x 9 9/16 in. (36.2 x 24.3 cm)
Medium: color woodblock print
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Hubert D. Bennett
Object number: 1939.260
Label Text:The common kingfisher of Japan is a small bird, about 7 inches long, with dazzling electric ultramarine blue and green feathers. Its Japanese name, kawasemi, translates as “river cicada,” and Koson here depicts it darting, insect-like, towards its prey. Recently, a new kind of Japanese bullet train was modeled on the beak of a kingfisher to reduce air resistance the way a kingfisher can dive into water without making a splash.
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