Six-leaf folding screen, Kayo Zu, Falcons on a perch, Soga school, Edo period, 18th century

This six-panel screen, of the oshi-e hari type (paintings mounted on screens), is made with pigments applied to paper. It is assembled using strips of paper and silk, as well as black lacquered rods, decorated with engraved brass protective fittings.

The technical term kayō zu, meaning "hawk on a perch," describes immobile hawks. These birds are attached to the perch by a cord. The word kayō is composed of the characters ka (perch) and yō (hawk).

Each leaf of the screen depicts a falcon, a striking image of a bird of prey, perched on an interior perch whose silk veil allows its plumage to be seen through. The exterior perches, meanwhile, are protected by straw, emphasizing the importance given to these birds. Each raptor, depicted in a different position, is attached to a finely drawn cord, demonstrating remarkable attention to detail and giving the whole a striking realism.

This screen is part of an artistic tradition nourished by the nobility's passion for falconry, particularly prized in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages. Many artists, such as Hashimoto Senkei, a student of Kanō Tan'yū, distinguished themselves in this genre while working for the Obama clan of Wakasa, in Echizen Province, now Fukui. Coming from a line of specialized artists, Senkei perpetuates an art passed down by his father, Hashimoto Chōbei, then known as the "Falcon of Tsuruga."

The daimyō of Tsuruga (Echizen Province) employed a group of painters who specialized in depicting falcons. These artists were heavily influenced by Soga Chokuan and Soga Nichokuan, 17th-century painters whose approach was to imbue falcons with a vibrancy and liveliness achieved through studious observation of nature.

Through a meticulous depiction of the birds' plumage, beak, and keen gaze, each panel offers a subtle variation in the falcons' posture, plumage color, and even the way the cord is tied. These birds of prey, as alert hunters ready to move with great speed, are depicted with a vivacity that gives them a dynamic presence.

This diversity, perceptible from one panel to the next, enriches the overall composition, inviting the viewer to contemplate the artist's rigor and freedom in the study of nature. During the Edo period, these screens were mainly used by the nobility and kept in castles, which explains why some of them are still in excellent condition today.

Screens with falcon decorations are exhibited, among others, at the Guimet Museum in Paris, the Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst in Berlin and the University of Tsukuba in Japan.