Chicken is believed to be a messenger of the gods in Japanese mythology to have been thought of as an auspicious bird since ancient times. It is often taken up as a subject of paintings. For example, paintings by Itō Jakuchū, a visionary painter of the Edo period, are famous.

This painting by Kuzuya Seizan features a couple of chickens in a friendly relationship and their chick. The fact that he was able to capture the subject even with only a few strokes is proof of him not neglecting his sketches on a regular basis. The vigorous brushwork gives a sense of dynamism to the chickens. In the upper part of the painting, the Zen phrase saying “Hibikorekōjutsu (Every single day is wonderful.)” is written with a vigorous brush stroke. This Zen phrase considers it important to be grateful for each and every day and to think of each day as the best day possible. Kuzuya Seizan’s hope is that this kind of attitude will lead to a happy family, like the family of chickens depicted in this painting. The bold composition with the use of margins makes this work even more interesting.