Two Badgers in Moonlit Landscape by Kishi Chikudo

Japanese, 1826 - 1897
Meiji Period (1868-1912), c. 1880s-1890s 
Ink, light color, and gold on silk 
Museum purchase, funds provided by the Kathleen M. Axline Acquisition Endowment 
2005.11

This evocative image of two badgers prowling through a moonlit forest during their hunt is an excellent example of later Japanese Shijo-school painting. Founded by Maruyama Okyo in the late 18th century, the Shijo School combined naturalism and lyricism to create images that were rooted in the real world yet possessed a pronounced spiritual aspect as well. Kishi Chikudo was the son of a samurai family from Kyoto and was known especially for his animal paintings.