Young Woman and Girl Feeding Caged Warbler

The most prized of all Japanese songbirds was the bush warbler, uguisu, sometimes called “nightingale” in English. The warbler’s song marked the beginning of spring, but when kept in captivity it had to be fed specially prepared mashed food. This charming print has the signature of Kiyonaga but is not in his usual style. It may be a very early work, or the signature may be a false one added later.