Details

A trio of swallows gathers on a gently curving willow branch, their forms alert and full of energy, while two companions swoop playfully through the pale green sky. With Swallows Perched on a Willow Branch, the little-known artist Daikō offers a luminous celebration of summer vitality and avian grace. The delicate trailing foliage of the willow, rendered in fine sweeping lines, lends a soft rhythmic cadence to the vertical composition, while the birds themselves are alive with subtle motion and expressive detail.

The swallows' rust-colored throats, sleek black wings, and long forked tails are rendered with precision, while the light that filters through the leaves casts a refreshing atmosphere over the entire scene. The soft green background shifts with subtle bokashi gradation, creating an atmospheric backdrop that enhances the print’s sense of seasonal lightness and air.

Connoisseur's Note

This elegant print was published by Doi Sadaichi in the early Showa period, a time of flourishing refinement within the Shin Hanga movement. Though the artist Daiko remains something of an enigma, this design reflects the same high standards of craftsmanship and natural observation that characterized the best of the period. It was carved by Katsumura Shozo and printed by Gotō—a well-known duo within Doi’s early stable of artisans whose collaborative precision is evident here in the clarity of the feathers, the soft shadowing of the branch, and the seamless gradation of the sky.

This impression retains its original freshness and brilliance. The full vertical sweep of the composition is perfectly preserved, and the paper’s cream tone deckle edges speak to its careful preservation.

Swallows Perched on a Willow Branch is not merely a study in nature, but a lyrical evocation of seasonal harmony—a vision of light, sound, and life poised on the threshold of summer air. It stands as a testament to the collaborative beauty of Shin Hanga printmaking, where artist, carver, and printer together capture something fleeting and eternal.