The Tongue-cut Sparrow (Shita-kiri suzume), from the series Assorted Storybook Prints (Akahon tsukushi)

The Tongue-Cut Sparrow was a popular fairytale that told of an old man’s kindness to a sparrow, who in thanks rewarded him with great wealth. Stories such as these were published in akahon (“red books”), simple printed books, a miniature design of which frames the series title in the upper right. Kubo Shunman was a talented artist who not only created innovative surimono, but also was an active poet. His accompanying poem uses the image of birds to refer to the “sparrows” of the Yoshiwara, the licensed pleasure quarters.