Hawk Hunting

Since the Muromachi period (1392-1573), hawking was taken over largely by the warrior elite, who saw the bird of prey as a symbol of their own bravery and might. So potent was this symbol that the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616) banned trade in hawks in 1604 to emphasize his own hegemony. Imagery of hawks in their wild habitat, in cages or tethered to stands is prevalent on hanging scrolls, screens and sliding doors commissioned by the samurai elite.