Ohara Koson

Key facts

Lived

1877–1945, Japanese^[1]

Movement

• Art Nouveau

^[1]

Works held in

3 museums^[8]

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• How did ohara koson die?+

  Ohara Koson died in 1945^[1] at the age of 68.
• What is ohara koson?+

  Koson is known for designing woodblock prints of birds and flowers in the kacho-e tradition. His prints often feature spare, precise compositions, isolating moments of stillness with a single bird against an empty background.
• What is Ohara Koson's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as Ohara Koson's most famous. He produced a large number of prints and paintings, mainly of birds and flowers (kachō-ga). Koson's work gained popularity in Europe and America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is known for his skilled use of colour and his ability to capture the delicate details of nature. His prints often feature birds in natural settings, such as perched on branches or flying through the air. He sometimes depicted other animals, such as peacocks, monkeys, and carp. Some of his better-known prints include "Crow on a Withered Branch", "Goose and Reeds", and various prints of birds and flowers of the seasons. Koson's work is held in many museum collections worldwide, including the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum.
• What should I know about Ohara Koson's prints?+

  Ohara Koson (1877^[1]-1945^[1]) is known for his nature prints (kachōga). These often depict birds and flowers. His prints are usually signed 'Shoson', and a print of 'A Crow on a Branch Against the Setting Sun' is an example of his work in the tanzaku size, a long, narrow format. This print is from around 1915^[1]. Prints of this kind were often produced in series. Koson's work aligns with a tradition of nature-focused prints that developed alongside historical and mythical subjects. Japanese^[1] woodblock prints involve collaboration. A publisher initiates the process, commissioning an artist's design. The artist creates a sketch and discusses colours and special effects with the publisher. The publisher then supervises production, employing engravers and printers. The artist's direct involvement in the production is minimal. Finished prints were sold in retail shops. Print sizes were limited by the woodblock. The ōban size is basic, but larger compositions use multiple sheets. Other sizes, like chūban and aiban, are mathematically related to the ōban.
• What style or movement did Ohara Koson belong to?+

  Ohara Koson (1877^[1]-1945^[1]) was a Japanese^[1] artist associated with Japonisme, which influenced the Art Nouveau^[1] movement in Europe. Art Nouveau, an international style in art and design that emerged towards the end of the 19th century, embraced organic forms, flowing lines, and asymmetrical compositions. It sought to integrate mass production with craftsmanship, reacting against ornate styles while absorbing elements from various sources, including Japanese design, especially ukiyo-e prints. Siegfried Bing, a German entrepreneur, played a role in popularising Japonisme. His Paris shop, La Maison de l'Art Nouveau (opened in 1895^[1]), promoted the Japanese principle of total design, integrating every detail of an interior space into a single style. Bing aimed to eliminate any distinction between the fine and decorative arts. The style took on different names across Europe, such as Jugendstil in Germany. While Art Nouveau designs are organic, they are often abstract rather than based on botanical specimens.
• What techniques or materials did Ohara Koson use?+

  Ohara Koson was a woodblock print artist. The process involved several steps. Kozo paper, lightly sized, worked best for allowing colour to pass through it. The artist prepared a woodblock in reverse. Ink, pigment, and water were applied, without nori (rice paste). A baren (a flat, round pad) applied heavy pressure to transfer the colour. Larger areas worked better than fine lines. Koson also employed kirazuri (mica printing). Mica was used instead of silver, because it did not discolour as easily. The background was printed in dark grey. It was overprinted with nori or nikawa (animal-skin glue), then sprinkled with mica while still wet. A stencil could mask areas for brushing with nori/nikawa before sprinkling. Excess mica was shaken off, and the print was allowed to dry. Gold, silver, or bronze powder could be used similarly. If mica or powders were mixed with the nori/nikawa and pigment, they lost sparkle. In some prints, the mica-printed area was crumpled (momigami) and flattened by resizing the print's back.
• What was Ohara Koson known for?+

  Ohara Koson (born Ohara Matao, 1877^[1]-1945^[1]) was a Japanese^[1] artist associated with the *shin-hanga* ("new prints") movement. This early 20th-century artistic style adapted traditional *ukiyo-e* woodblock printing to appeal to Western tastes. *Shin-hanga* prints often featured subjects like birds, flowers, and animals. Koson's work frequently depicted these themes. He initially studied painting with Suzuki Kason (1860-1919^[1]), adopting the name Koson around 1900^[1]. While Koson's early work was exhibited with groups like *Meiji Bijutsukai* and *Inten*, he shifted his focus to printmaking. He collaborated with publishers such as Akiyama Buemon and Watanabe Shōzaburō. Watanabe is a significant figure in *shin-hanga*. Koson also produced prints for foreign markets, signing them "Ohara Hoson" or "Ohara Shoson". This helped broaden his international appeal. His contributions are a noted part of the *shin-hanga* movement.
• When did Ohara Koson live and work?+

  Ohara Koson was active as an artist from the late 19th century into the mid-20th century. While specific dates for his life and career are not provided in the reference passages, the broader artistic and cultural context of the time can be understood through the activities of his contemporaries. For instance, artists like František Kupka (1871-1957^[1]) and Paul Klee (1879^[1]-1940) were part of the same artistic milieu. Kupka, for example, was illustrating books and exhibiting in Paris around 1900, and Klee was active in the early 20th century. These timelines offer a sense of the period in which Koson lived and worked, even without precise dates for his own life.
• Where was Ohara Koson from?+

  Ohara Koson, also known as Ohara Shoson and Hoson, was born in the Shitaya district of Edo (modern Tokyo). His birth name was Suzuki Shigeo, though he was commonly called Sotaro. His father was a kimono merchant with ties to the Maeda daimyo of Kaga province. From the age of fourteen, Sotaro studied with Nakajima Kyosai, a favoured pupil of Kikuchi Yosai. He later worked as a pattern designer for the Kiryu Kosho Gaisha exporting company for at least ten years, beginning in 1876. His gold-lacquer patterns received an award at the first Domestic Industrial Exposition in 1877^[1]. Koson taught at the Ishikawa prefectural technical school from 1889^[1] to 1893. He joined the Japan Art Institute in 1898.
• Who did Ohara Koson influence?+

  Ohara Koson's artistic lineage can be traced through the Japanese^[1] art world of the Meiji and Taisho periods. Koson was not directly mentioned, but the woodblock printmaking scene saw a revival in the 20th century with the Sosaku Hanga (Creative Print) movement. This movement, influenced by European ideas, saw artists embracing printmaking as an artistic method, rather than a mere means of reproduction. Two well-known artists of this period were Onchi Koshiro (1891^[1]-1955^[1]) and Munakata Shiko (1903-1975). They replaced the traditional division of labour by being competent in all processes. This inevitably changed some of the ways in which prints were made. A few of the more time-consuming tasks were simplified, although the quality of the medium was maintained. The traditional materials were still used, and the new way of working revived some of the lost spirit of ukiyo-e. In the post-war period, a generation of artists, including Miyashita Tokio, Funasaka Yoshisuke and Kurosaki Akira, experimented with mixing woodblock and etching and woodblock and screenprint which further broadened the range of the traditional technique.
• Who influenced Ohara Koson?+

  It is difficult to identify specific individuals who directly influenced Ohara Koson. Koson's artistic career occurred during a period when Japanese^[1] artists were synthesising traditional techniques with Western art movements. Some researchers have noted the impact of Analytical Cubism, early Kandinsky, and Miró on artists of the period. Koson, like other artists, may have analysed the structure of paintings by Braque and Picasso, as well as works by Matisse and Mondrian. Koson's move toward a more abstract mode of representation, and his use of pure colour, may reflect the impact of European modernists. Exposure to Impressionism, and movements such as the New York School, could have affected Koson's approach to composition and colour. The emphasis on surface-oriented figurative work, seen in Matisse, provided a means to move beyond abstract expressionism. Ultimately, Koson's influences likely stemmed from a mixture of Japanese artistic traditions and exposure to a range of Western styles.
• Who is ohara koson?+

  Ohara Koson (1877^[1]-1945^[1]) was a Japanese^[1] artist who designed woodblock prints, mainly of birds and flowers. He is known for producing these prints almost exclusively for Western buyers.