Kite and two crows, c. 1766-1770, Yosa Buson, Japanese, 1716 - 1783, 45 1/8 ¡Ñ 17 1/8 in. (114.62 ¡Ñ 43.5 cm) (image)81 ¡Ñ 23 1/2 in. (205.74 ¡Ñ 59.69 cm) (mount), Ink and color on silk, Japan, 18th century, A pair of crows huddle against a downpour of rain, suggested by diagonal bands of ink wash and downturned leaves. Farther up on the same branch, a kite (a type of bird of prey) appears unperturbed by the stormy weather. The pairing of a kite and crows appears with some frequency in paintings by Yosa Buson, as it does in a type of poetry known as haikai (the poetic form from which modern-day haiku evolved). Buson was a master of both mediums, and it is possible that the subject of his painting was drawn from a poem.