Family of Cranes

In addition to their role as symbols of longevity and vehicles for immortals, cranes, which mate for life, are also emblematic of familial loyalty. In this autumnal scene, a family of cranes gathers near parched reeds and reddening ivy. The painter, Watanabe Shōka, was born in Edo to the important painter and scholar Watanabe Kazan (1793–1841). After Kazan’s politically motivated suicide, the young Shōka took as his teacher his father’s leading pupil, the literati painter Tsubaki Chinzan (1801–1854), whose influence is apparent here.