Scops Owl in Moonlight Frame:Black Wood and upright tail are rendered

and upright tail are rendered with expressive simplicity

and simplified facial forms draw from historical Japanese imagery while employing a modern

their umbrellas and measured steps adding scale and rhythm to the landscape

by Kitagawa Utamaro

including Japan’s relationship with nature

Scops Owl in Moonlight Frame:Black Wood and upright tail are renderedBy Ohara Koson This elegant woodblock print depicts a scops owl poised on a branch beneath a crescent moon, its wings partially extended against a softly graded night sky. Created by Ohara Koson, the work reflects the shin hanga tradition through its precise linework, subtle colour accents, and careful balance of light and shadow, capturing both stillness and latent motion within the composition. In Japanese art, the owl is often associated with