Ohara Koson was a master of kacho-ga [bird and flower pictures] - a genre which, despite the name, encompasses images of the entire natural world, including also animals, fish and insects. Koson initially produced prints under the publishers Akiyama Buemon (Kokkeido) and Matsuki Heikichi (Daikokuya), signing these works Koson. In around 1926 he began an association with Watanabe Shozaburo, using the name Shoson for the prints produced with Watanabe. He also produced prints with the publisher Kawaguchi, this time using the name Hoson.
Koson produced more than 450 designs of birds over his career and his skill was to imbue his subjects with a natural sensibility and at the same time depict them in a highly decorative manner. Also key to his work was the achievement of a fine balance between modern clarity and Japanese sentiment. Koson's prints were highly successful, especially abroad, as proven by a famous episode from 1933 during the International Woodblock Printing Exhibition held in Warsaw, Poland. Four out of five Japanese artists who presented their works were the shin-hanga artists Ito Shinsui, Kawase Hasui, Natori Shunsen and Ohara Koson. Each submitted four works, with Koson's four Shoson works (including Cockatoo and Pomegranate and Goldfish) receiving an impressive 967 orders.