Vijf mussen in gevecht

Imao Keinen made this woodblock print, titled 'Five Sparrows Fighting', sometime during his career in Kyoto. The natural world was a favored subject of Japanese art at the time. But the image of fighting birds presents a more unusual subject. The print was produced in Kyoto, a center of artistic innovation during the Meiji era. Keinen's choice to depict birds fighting could be viewed through the lens of the social and political changes happening in Japan at the time. After centuries of isolation, Japan was rapidly modernizing and dealing with internal conflicts over its identity and future. Did the artist intend the fighting sparrows as a commentary on these social struggles? Or perhaps as a reflection on the new social Darwinist ideas coming from the West. To better understand Keinen's work, we can examine the artistic traditions of Kyoto at that time, read about the rise of Japonisme, and analyze the complex social and political history of Meiji-era Japan. The meaning of art is always tied to its specific time and place.