Paintings of birds and flowers enjoy a long tradition in Japanese art. This hanging scroll reflects the realism of the Nagasaki school, an Edo period school or style of painting. The Edo period (1603–1868) was a time of great significance in Japan’s history because at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the country was unified under the Tokugawa family after years of civil unrest. The following years were ones of unprecedented peace and prosperity, prompting an increase in artistic, cultural and social development.