Chickens 

Ito Jakuchu rendered this image of chickens with ink on paper in eighteenth-century Japan. Here, the rooster is no mere barnyard fowl; it is a solar symbol, its crow heralding the dawn and dispelling darkness. We find this motif echoed across cultures, from the Gallo-Roman depictions of roosters associated with Mercury, the messenger of the gods, to their prominent place on weather vanes, signaling vigilance. Think of the rooster's comb, a crown-like adornment. It is as if the bird is a king, ruling over the cycle of day and night. Consider the emotional resonance, the potent psychological impact of a creature that struts with such confidence. Jakuchu's chickens evoke primal feelings of awakening, of asserting oneself in the face of the unknown. These symbols transcend time. The rooster heralds not just the sun, but also our own inner awakenings.