Ogata Kōrin: Art In Early Modern Japan

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00294

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22238

Best known for his paintings Irises and Red and White Plum Blossoms, Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716) was a highly successful Edo period artist who worked in many genres and media—including hanging scrolls, screen paintings, fan paintings, lacquer, textiles, and ceramics. Combining archival research, social history, and visual analysis, Frank Feltens situates Kōrin within the broader art culture of early modern Japan. He shows how financial pressures, client preferences, and the impulse toward personal branding in a competitive field shaped Kōrin’s approach to art-making throughout his career. Feltens also offers a keen visual reading of the artist’s work, highlighting the ways Kōrin’s artistic innovations succeeded across media, such as his introduction of painterly techniques into lacquer design and his creation of ceramics that mimicked the appearance of ink paintings. This book, the first major study of Kōrin in English, provides an intimate and thought-provoking portrait of one of Japan’s most significant artists.

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Author

PublisherYale University Press

Print publication date October 2021 (in print)

Print ISBN 9780300256918

EISBN 9780300267792

Illustrations 150

Print Status in print

Publisher (in print)

WorldCat

Google Books

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List of illustrations

Genealogy of Kōrin’s Paintings (Kōrin gafu), preface to
Mountain of Dye-Colored Patterns (Hinagata someiro no yama), detail of Kōrin chrysanthemums
Letter Accepting His Father’s Bequest
Letter by Suma to Kōrin
Gate House (Sekiya) and Channel Buoys (Miotsukushi) from the Tale of Genj
Gate House (Sekiya) and Channel Buoys (Miotsukushi) from the Tale of Genj
Certificate Granting Kōrin the Hokkyō Title
Letter to Nishimura Seiiku (or Masakuni)
Sōgi
Sketch of a Portrait of Kakinomoto Hitomaro
Portrait of Anrakuan Sakuden
Hotei Playing Kemari
Yoshida Kenkō
Huang Tingjian
Spring Landscape
Jurōjin
Jurōjin
Irises
Irises
Irises, detail
Irises, detail
Tales of Ise (Saga-bon)
The Tales of Ise: Yatsuhashi
Poetic Meanings of the Twelve Months
Poetic Meanings of the Twelve Months
Kariganeya Design Catalogue (On’e chō), detail
Collection of Old and New Poems (Kokin wakashū)
Collection of Old and New Poems (Kokin wakashū)
Sketches of Cranes
Irises at Yatsuhashi (Eight-Plank Bridge)
Irises at Yatsuhashi (Eight-Plank Bridge)
Sketches of Irises
Fans with Designs of Irises at Yatsuhashi and Reeds in Winter, detail
Irises
Cormorant Fisher
Hakurakuten
Rectangular Dish with Design of the Noh Play Kakitsubata
Dream painting of Mount Fuji
Sketch of a Version of Irises at Yatsuhashi
One Hundred Pictures by Kōrin (Kōrin hyakuzu)
Record of Glancing at the Past (Kaganroku)
Irises at Yatsuhashi (Eight-Plank Bridge), detail
Suzuribako with Design of Hollyhocks
Hotei Playing Kemari, detail
Signature Practice
Black Raku ware tea bowl named Minogame (Mossy-tailed tortoise)
Inrō with Design of Hollyhocks
Suzuribako with Design of Hollyhocks
Suzuribako with Design of Pontoon Bridge
Box for Writing Equipment (suzuribako), top view
Suzuribako with Design of the Shore of Suminoe
Suzuribako with Design of Shells, top view
Portable Set of Drawers with Design of Plovers and Waves
Circular Sketches for Lacquer Designs
Patterns for Contemporary Beauties (Tōfū bijo hinakata), detail of Kōrin plums
Circular Sketches for Lacquer Designs
Sketch for Suzuribako with Design of Plum Blossoms
Sketch for Inrō with Design of Deer
Book of Deer Designs for Inrō (Inrō shika no hon)
Poem Scroll with Deer, detail
Suzuribako with Design of Eight-Plank Bridge, from the Tales of Ise
Circular Sketches for Lacquer Designs
Suzuribako with Design of Eight-Plank Bridge, from the Tales of Ise, top view
Portrait of Nakamura Kuranosuke and Jurojin, detail
Jurōjin
Portrait of Nakamura Kuranosuke
The Beach at Sumiyoshi, from the Tales of Ise
Mount Utsu, from The Tales of Ise
Mt. Utsu, from the Tales of Ise
Portrait of Nakamura Kuranosuke, detail
Ivy Vines, Bridges, and Floating Fans, detail
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums
Mimosa Tree, Poppies, and Other Summer Flowers
Li Bai
Misogi
Bird Studies, detail
Seiōbō (Queen Mother of the West)
The Four Accomplishments, detail
Splashed Ink Landscape, detail
Sketch of a Painting by Sesshū
Landscape Sketch after Sesshū
One Hundred Pictures of Kōrin (Kōrin hyakuzu)
Ink Landscape
Ink Landscape, detail
Plants of the Four Seasons, detail
Gods of Wind and Thunder
Gods of Wind and Thunder
Plants of Spring and Autumn
Plants of Spring and Autumn
Azaleas
Square Dish with Design of Chrysanthemums
Individual Serving Dish with Design of Flowering Quince
Jar with Decor of Plum Blossoms of Persimmons
Serving Dish with Design of Three Friends of Winter
Square Dish with Design of Eight-Plank Bridge, from the Tales of Ise, recto and verso
Plum and Bamboo
Square Dish with Design of Bamboo
Square Dish with Design of Plum Blossoms
Scholar Viewing a Waterfall
Ceramic Box in Shape of a Bamboo Flute
Sencha Tea Bowl with Landscape Design
Tea Bowl with Design of Mt. Fuji
Traces of Kenzan's Brush (Kenzan iboku)
Qin Gao Riding a Carp
Qin Gao Riding a Carp
Square Relief Seal Reading Sesson
Image of Jurōjin
Square Dish with Design of Jurōjin
Twelve Months After Fujiwara Teika (Twelfth Month)
Letter Accepting His Father’s Bequest
Square Dish with Design of Huang Tingjian, recto and verso
Pillow with Landscape Scenes
Fluttering of a Snipe’s Wing (Shigi no hanegaki), Twelfth Month of Twelve Months After Fujiwara Teika
Square Dish
Cintamani Jewels
Cintamani Jewel
Square Dish with Design of a Landscape with Figures
Genealogy of Eight Types of Painting (Hasshu gafu), details
Rectangular Dish with Designs of Plum Blossoms and Bamboo
Rectangular Dish with Designs of Plum Blossoms and Bamboo
Designs for Tea Bowls
Red and White Plum Blossoms
Red and White Plum Blossoms
Illustrated Life of Saigyō, detail
Sketch of Illustrated Life of Saigyō
Illustrated Life of Saigyō, detail
Sketch of Water Pattern
Cranes
Cranes
Waves at Matsushima
Waves at Matsushima
Plants of Autumn
Plants of Autumn
Plants of Autumn, left screen, detail
Red and White Plum Blossoms, detail
Plants of the Four Seasons
Floor Plan of His Nijō Shinmachi Residence
Red and White Plum Blossoms, detail
Irises at Yatsuhashi (Eight-Plank Bridge), detail
Wisteria and Other Flowers
Peonies
Flowers
Genealogy of Kōrin’s Paintings (Kōrin gafu)
Irises
Irises
Irises of Yatsuhashi, from the Tales of Ise
Irises of Yatsuhashi, from the Tales of Ise
Irises
Irises

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Contents

Contents

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PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22239

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Acknowledgments

~The joy of writing a book like this one lies in the opportunity to work with colleagues and friends throughout the field and beyond. This study has benefited from the knowledge and generosity of many individuals, and I am humbled by their presence along my path of pursuing the history of Japanese art. The groundwork for this book was made during doctoral...

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PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22240

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Note to the Reader

~Japanese names of historic personages and Japanese scholars throughout the publication are written in the traditional order, surname first, such as Ogata Kōrin, except where a person’s primary activity is or was outside of Japan.

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PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22241

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Introduction

~~Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716) is a fixture in Japan’s cultural landscape. Few other Japanese artists draw similar crowds of museumgoers and have spawned comparable numbers of publications. Hundreds of articles and books on Kōrin’s work and countless artistic homages have been...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716Katō, Chikage, 1735-1808Art, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868Artists--Japan--BiographyTextile design--JapanDecorative arts--JapanPainting, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.2-11

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00294.1

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22242

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1. Before Painting: Ogata Kōrin and His Turn to Art

The beginnings of Ogata Kōrin’s career as a painter are complex in that his resolve to become a professional artist seems to have been more fortuity than a well-planned move. Instead of choosing painting early in life, Kōrin was pushed to become an artist when a series of unlucky circumstances and poor...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716Art, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868Tawaraya, Sōtatsu, active 1600-1640Ogata, Kenzan, 1663-1743Nishi Honganji (Kyoto, Japan). SūmitsubuArtists--Japan--BiographyPainting, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.13-29

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00294.2

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22243

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2. Of Poets and Flowers: Kōrin’s Early Paintings

Faced with a series of personal and financial setbacks, Kōrin apparently took up the brush and decided to make the arts his main vocation in the first years of the 1690s. His initial paintings tell the story of a careful but confident artist, one who engaged with the styles of luminaries of bygone times in order to promulgate his name in the art world of his day. An abundance of sketches and...

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PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.31-67

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00294.3

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22244

Chapter subject tags:Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716Art, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868Shōkadō, Shōjō, 1584-1639Kanō, Tan'yū, 1602-1674Sakai, Hōitsu, 1761-1828Painting, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868

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3. Art and Family: Kōrin’s Lacquer Works and Hon’ami Kōetsu

Kōrin began creating lacquer works when he took his first steps as an artist in the 1690s. From the beginning, Kōrin intended to cater to diverse tastes and needs. Within this ambition, lacquer remained an important part of his artistic identity. His pieces...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716Art, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868Lacquer and lacquering--JapanHon'ami, Kōetsu, 1558-1637Nagata, Yūji, active 18th centuryArtists--Japan--BiographyDecorative arts--Japan

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.69-97

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00294.4

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22245

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4. Heading East: Kōrin in Edo

In 1704 Kōrin packed his bags and left his native Kyoto for the eastern power center of Edo. In doing so, he aligned himself with generations of people from the capital who ventured eastward. Kōrin did not completely relocate but instead commuted back and forth between Kyoto and Edo for five...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716Art, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868Tawaraya, Sōtatsu, active 1600-1640Sesshū, 1420-1506Kanō, Tan'yū, 1602-1674Artists--Japan--BiographyPainting, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.99-131

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00294.5

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22246

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5. Beyond Ink: Ceramics by Kōrin and Kenzan

Shortly after his return to Kyoto in 1709, Kōrin made his way to the residence of his aristocratic friend and supporter Nijō Tsunahira.Kamimichi, “Kōrin kankei shiryō,” 59. As Kōrin and Tsunahira sat together conversing in the heat of summer, the artist likely told unflattering...

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PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.133-159

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00294.6

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22247

Chapter subject tags:Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716Art, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868Ogata, Kenzan, 1663-1743Nonomura, Ninsei, active 1648-1657Artists--Japan--BiographyDecorative arts--JapanPottery, Japanese

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6. Toward the End: Kōrin’s Late Work

The last works of an artist often become the subject of mystification. In the case of Kōrin, we are captivated by the winding path of his prowess, and we follow with fascination his road from the time he first took up the brush to...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716. Red and white plum blossomsArt, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868Tawaraya, Sōtatsu, active 1600-1640Screen painting, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868Artists--Japan--BiographyPainting, Japanese--Edo period, 1600-1868

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.161-181

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00294.7

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22248

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Epilogue

~~By the time of Kōrin’s passing, his legacy had already become a part of the mainstream of Edo period art. Although no direct pupil or successor to Kōrin’s atelier can be identified for certain, a range of painters followed in his footsteps, revealing how Kōrin, initially a reluctant and...

Author

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.183-192

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22249

Chapter subject tags:Ogata, Kōrin, 1658-1716Watanabe, Shikō, 1683-1755Sakai, Hōitsu, 1761-1828Kamisaka, Sekka, 1866-1942Nakamura, Hōchū, active 18th century-19th centuryArtists--Japan--Biography

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