Plovers, Rocks, and Waves

Plovers, Rocks, and Waves

Suzuki Kiitsu, first half 19th century

Download1612 × 4000 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Suzuki Kiitsu (Japanese, 1796–1858)
Medium: Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
Size: 48 9/16 × 19 1/2 in. (123.35 × 49.53 cm) (image)
Museum: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Rights: Public Domain Mark

The motif of plovers (chidori), flying in a long row over the waves, or looking for food where the sea leaves a line of foam on the sand, has often inspired Japanese artists. This bird is an auspicious symbol associated with longevity because its cry, “chiyo, ” is a homonym for “one thousand generations.” The association of chidori with long life goes back as far as the early 10th century, appearing in the poetry anthology Kokinwakashū, and became a popular motif in various media such as ceramics, textiles, lacquer, and metalwork.

Text: Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), CC BY 4.0.

More by Suzuki Kiitsu

Reeds and Cranes

Reeds and Cranes

Mountains [center from the triptych Three Evening Scenes]

Mountains [center from the triptych Three Evening Scenes]

Suzuki Kiitsu, first half 19th century

Hollyhock and Lilies

Hollyhock and Lilies

Suzuki Kiitsu, first half 19th century

Morning Glories

Morning Glories

Suzuki Kiitsu, early 19th century

Moon and Waves

Suzuki Kiitsu, first half 19th century

Mountain Streams in Summer and Autumn

Mountain Streams in Summer and Autumn

Shō-Kannon

Suzuki Kiitsu, first half 19th century

Flowering Plum and Camellia

Flowering Plum and Camellia

Suzuki Kiitsu, c. 1850s

Morning Glories

Morning Glories

Suzuki Kiitsu, 19th century

Reeds and Cranes

Reeds and Cranes

Poppies

Suzuki Kiitsu, mid-19th century

Courtesan Takao with Bush Clover and Moon

Courtesan Takao with Bush Clover and Moon

Suzuki Kiitsu, first half 19th century

Visually similar

Breaking Waves

Katsushika Hokusai, 1847

Noh Play Hachinoki, one of three

Noh Play Hachinoki, one of three

Shibata Zeshin, second half 19th century

Chinese-style Landscape with Man Fishing from a Boat by Moonlight [right of a triptych]

Chinese-style Landscape with Man Fishing from a Boat by Moonlight [right of a triptych]

Kawanabe Kyōsai, 1884

Fishing in a Springtime Valley

Fishing in a Springtime Valley

Ike no Taiga, 1700s

Sailboats and Mount Fuji

Sailboats and Mount Fuji

Shibata Zeshin, 19th century

Page 11 from the book Okyo Shubi Gafu

Page 11 from the book Okyo Shubi Gafu

Maruyama Ōkyo, 1892

Finger Painting of a Landscape

Finger Painting of a Landscape

Ike no Taiga, ca. 1730s

Snipes [left from the triptych Three Evening Scenes]

Snipes [left from the triptych Three Evening Scenes]

Suzuki Kiitsu, first half 19th century

Carp [left of a triptych of Taigong Wang, Dragon, and Carp]

Carp [left of a triptych of Taigong Wang, Dragon, and Carp]

Soga Shōhaku, c. 1760–80

Landscape in Moonlight

Landscape in Moonlight

Kanō Tan'yū, after 1662

Mandarin ducks

Maruyama Ōkyo, 18th century

Liezi in the Wind

Liezi in the Wind

Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1810–1813