Hare in the autumn grass 秋草の兎 | Konoshima Ōkoku 木島桜谷 | 1877-1938

Konoshima Ōkoku was a highly respected painter in his time; his interest in historicist painting (which was also popular in Europe in the late 19th century) led to his being somewhat forgotten in his later years (as if it were no longer contemporary). However, if one focuses on his animal paintings and his landscapes, any sense of obscurity disappears. This has recently been rediscovered in Japan as well, leading to major exhibitions of his work in Kyoto (2013) and Tokyo (2014).

Konoshima Ōkoku was an intelligent and educated painter; it's quite possible he was familiar with Dürer's famous hare. Both paintings share the three-quarter view of the head and the hare's oblique position within the picture. Like Dürer, Ōkoku also attempted, in his own way and with his painterly techniques, to reproduce the animal's fine fur texture. The major difference between the two paintings, however, lies in the format – Ōkoku fills the upper portion with a wild composition of Susuki Gras, typical of a Japanese autumn landscape. Within this, a blue flower is suggested on the right.

It is probably a tuyukusa (commelina communis), often used in autumn poems as a seasonal indicator. The flower blooms for only one day and is therefore called a "day flower" in English. This short lifespan is associated with autumn melancholy.

Only upon closer inspection does the delicate green silk mounting reveal how precious the fabric is, interwoven with gold threads. Ōkoku always personally and intensively involved himself in the mounting of his pictures and also in the design of the wooden box in which the picture is kept.