Mori Kōkyo, as a student of Yamamoto Shunkyo, was a Japanese-style painter, active in Kyōto at the beginning of the Shōwa era. He is the grandson of Mori Kansai, the last master of the Mori School, active in Ōsaka from the Edo through Mēji periods. The founder of the Mori School, Mori Sosen, excelled at animal paintings, especially monkeys, whose DNA may have been passed down to Mori Kōkyo. His skillful brushwork depicts an adorable dog, engrossed in a Japanese shuttlecock of a hagoita (battledore) in this work. The expression of the dog’s face and fur are depicted realistically, as expected of a Shijō School artist, to allow us to fully appreciate Mori Kōkyo’s ability, taking this work as a gem.