Brown-Eared Bulbul (Hiyodori) on a Branch of Plum

Kano Shōei

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A bird identifiable as a brown-eared bulbul, known in Japanese as hiyodori, perches on a gnarled branch of plum that has just burst into bloom with the arrival of spring. Kano Shōei and other artists of the early Kano school were admired for their highly polished bird-and-flower paintings, executed both in monochrome and in color, in a style deeply informed by imported Chinese pictures and earlier Japanese Zen painting.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art