Peacocks and Cherry Blossoms

Against the brilliantly rendered background of a cherry tree in full bloom, a peacock is perched upon a branch with its tail feathers gloriously arrayed while the peahen with subdued plumage looks upwards towards her flamboyant companion. The nearly pristine layers of thickly applied mineral pigments cover the entire surface of this tour-de-force of modern painting. Characteristic of Nihonga (Japanese-style paintings) of the early twentieth century, the work has an overall feeling of flatness and an emphasis on the surface due to the inherent nature of the thick mineral pigments. At the same time the artist creates a sense of volume and simple perspective in the way the tree branches are modeled and in the placement of the rock in front of the river bank where the peahen stands. The cherry blossoms that fill the background also add a physicality to the work as each blossom is painstakingly painted in white and shades of pink.

Peafowls in traditional Japanese art have religious and auspicious symbolism. In Buddhist iconography, they are considered to be guardians from disaster and hardship because they can safely consume poisonous plants, snakes, and insects that would harm humans. They are also symbols of wisdom and said to have the power to steer the faithful away from evil. Peacocks play a prominent role especially in Esoteric Buddhism, as one serves as the vehicle for Kujaku Myōō (Sanskrit: Mahamayuri), or the “peacock king,” one of the Five Wisdom Kings. Because of the multiplicity of “eyes” on the tail feathers, peacocks were also associated with fecundity, a large and healthy family, and wealth in general. All of this traditional symbolism was transferred to modern images of the peacock as a symbol of success and general prosperity. At the time this painting was created, in the 1920s, the peacock was adopted as a trademark of the Mitsukoshi Department Store and symbolized commercial success and a flourishing economy.