Pair of byobu or folding screens in two panels, painted on mica washed paper in gofun or clam shell gesso, sumi ink, and mineral pigments with Japanese fighting cocks, one of which has broken away from the group in eager pursuit of a bee in flight. Signed on the lower right corner of the right hand screen by the artist: Koshun, and sealed: Kontani Koshun; again sealed on the lower left corner of the left hand screen: Kontani Koshun (Kontani Koshun, 1890 – 1945). With black lacquered frames and silver mounts. Early Showa era, circa 1930 – 1940.

Born in Kanazawa, Kontani Koshun was a pupil of Takamura Ugyo, later moving to Kyoto to study under Yamamoto Shunkyo. Koshun first exhibited at the 9th Bunten in 1915, and later at the 12th Bunten in 1926. In the same year he mounted a painting exhibition in Kanazawa. In 1939 Koshun was named head of the Hokuriku Fine Arts Association. In addition to his fame as a painter, Kontani Koshun also was well known for his mastery of haiku poetry.

Koshun paints an instant in time; the bee caught in flight, the cockerel darting after while his companions awaken to the pursuit. Unusual for a Nihonga artist, Koshun uses a Western painting approach, sketching the scene in graphite. The pencil lines remain visible on the edges of the feathers and under pigment overlays as part of the effect. Mica highlights the orange of the cocks’ combs. Wet washes of color and sumi ink detail the feather markings, with thinly brushed gofun filling in the white areas. This style of painting underscores the immediacy of the image, and helps convey a feeling of quick movement.