Kite and two crows

Yosa Buson

c. 1766–70

Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A hawk and two crows perch on branches of a pine tree against a muted, hazy background. The composition is vertical, with the birds arranged in a staggered line. A hawk and two crows perch on branches of a pine tree against a muted, hazy background. The composition is vertical, with the birds arranged in a staggered line. A pair of crows huddle against a downpour of rain, suggested by diagonal bands of ink wash and downturned leaves. Farther up on the same branch, a kite (a type of bird of prey) appears unperturbed by the stormy weather. The pairing of a kite and crows appears with some frequency in paintings by Yosa Buson, as it does in a type of poetry known as haikai (the poetic form from which modern-day haiku evolved). Buson was a master of both mediums, and it is possible that the subj