About the artist
Seiko was a woodblock print artist active during the Meiji-period. His work is regarded as some of the most delicate and naturalistic of the kacho-e, or bird-and-flower genre, of his generation. His history is somewhat mysterious. Some scholars believe that Seiko may actually be an additional artist name for the renowned kacho-e painter, Seitei (or Shotei), as they both produced works with very similar motifs and compositions, as well as a comparable level of refinement and skill. However, there is little concrete evidence to support this idea, despite the visual similarities between the two artists. Nevertheless, Seiko’s work stands as some of the most accomplished nature studies of the period, especially those that were produced in the square kakuban format.