Ray Morimura - 鴇田 (Field of Crested Ibises)

Contemporary Woodblock Print

A fabulous print by Ray Morimura: 鴇田 (Field of Crested Ibises). Rice fields dominate the composition, broken into complex patterns of narrow lines, angled plots and sweeping tracks which pull the eye deep into the landscape. A flock of crested ibises fly low across the foreground, cutting through the rigid geometry of the Morimura's fields, while a small village and wooded mountains sit beyond. The contrast between the ordered Japanese farmland and the movement of the birds makes this a particularly special piece.🌾🪽

• Year & Edition: 2020 · Edition of 100 (73/100) (signed, titled & dated in pencil).
• Medium: Woodblock.
• Dimensions: Sheet W: 42.75 cm × H: 58.75 cm. Image W: 29.75 cm × H: 44.50 cm.
• Condition: Mint.
• Notes: The Japanese crested ibis, known as 鴇 toki, is closely associated with Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, where rice paddies provide important feeding habitat. After disappearing from the wild in Japan, the species was successfully reintroduced on Sado in 2008 following a long-running conservation programme. Rice cultivation and ibis conservation are now closely linked there, making the combination of patterned paddy fields and toki especially resonant within a contemporary Japanese rural landscape.

About the Artist