Since ancient times, Japanese painters have been expressing the beauty and the elegance of their daily life with drawings.

There are a wide range of motifs that have been used in their art works depending on the painter or the school. Kachou-ga (花鳥画) is one of the most well-known genres of Japanese traditional painting. Literally it means the painting with flower or bird motif though, Kachou-ga includes various kinds of motifs such as animals, fishes, insects and even imaginary creatures.

Here in our new website, Japanese Animal Paintings -The lives of all living things-, we offer you the opportunity to encounter many types of Japanese Kachou-ga and Doubutsu-ga (動物画 : animal painting) from mostly Edo period.

Adorable puppies and kittens, noble hawks, realistic monkeys and personified insects - they sometimes show us even their amorousness as well. Hope you enjoy their world!