Kiryu Kosho Kaisha was founded in 1873 by Japan’s Meiji government, following the great success of the Japanese exhibit at the Vienna World Exhibition in 1873. Over the next two decades, the company commissioned decorative works from many talented craftspeople as an integral part of Japan’s blossoming export craft industry, much of it destined for Western markets. This volume reproduces myriad true-to-life sketches of flowers and birds (the genre known as ‘kacho-e’). With their delicate lines and subtle hues, the collection of drawings attests to the exceptional level of artistry supported by Kiryu Kosho Kaisha during the Meiji period.