The Moment Before the Strike: Hokusai's Pheasant and Serpent

雉と蛇

Kiji to Hebi — Pheasant and Serpent

School of Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎一門), c. 1833 (Tenpō 4), Edo period. 🌸

Ancient Rivals

In Japanese tradition, the pheasant (kiji — 雉) and the serpent (hebi — 蛇) are ancient enemies. It was long believed that pheasants could kill and eat snakes — making them natural rivals in the wild, locked in a relationship of predator and prey that could reverse in an instant. ⛩️

This extraordinary print captures the most charged moment of all: not the battle itself, but the breath before it. The serpent coils around the pheasant's long tail, rising to strike. The pheasant stands its ground, alert, unmoving. Every line in the composition is taut with the tension of what is about to happen. 🐍

Geometry Within a Circle

Designed for a uchiwa (団扇 — a round fan), the composition works within a perfect circle — and turns that constraint into pure design mastery. The serpent's sinuous, coiling curves play against the pheasant's sharp, angular form, creating a dynamic geometric tension that feels almost modern. 🎴

The misty, atmospheric background — pale and almost empty — throws the two figures into sharp relief, making the confrontation feel both intimate and inevitable.

About the Artist

Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎, 1760–1849) is one of the most celebrated artists in the history of Japanese art, renowned worldwide for The Great Wave and his mastery of landscape, nature, and design. This work, attributed to his school (School of Hokusai), reflects the extraordinary influence of his studio on the art of the Edo period. 🌸

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