Korin Ogata1658~1716 尾形光琳

Ogata Korin (1658-1716) was a painter and decorative artist of the mid-Edo period, born the second son of the high-end Kyoto textile merchant Kariganeya. Inspired by Tawaraya Sotatsu and trained in classical court aesthetics, he created a clear, boldly decorative style that became the centerpiece of what is now called the Rinpa school. His representative works include the National Treasures “Irises” (Kakitsubata-zu byobu), “Red and White Plum Blossoms” (Kohakubai-zu byobu), and the “Yatsuhashi Maki-e Lacquer Writing Box,” and his sense of design — known as “Korin-moyo” — exerted enormous influence on later Japanese painting, crafts, and design. He often collaborated with his younger brother, the potter Ogata Kenzan, and devoted himself fully to painting after attaining the rank of Hokkyo at age 44.