A merchant turned master: How Ogata Kōrin defined the aesthetic of an era

Art · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Born into a wealthy textile family, Ogata Kōrin did not establish himself as a professional artist until late in life. Despite his late start and eventual poverty, he became a central figure of the Rinpa school, creating iconic folding screens that remain celebrated as National Treasures of Japan today.

Ogata Kōrin was born in 1658 into a prosperous Kyoto merchant family that supplied fine textiles to the aristocracy. While he received a standard education in painting and calligraphy, he spent much of his youth preoccupied with the theater. Following his father's death in 1687, Kōrin and his brother Kenzan inherited a significant fortune, but Kōrin's lavish social lifestyle and poor financial decisions soon left him in debt, forcing him to pawn family heirlooms.

Kōrin’s artistic career truly began in his maturity. In 1701, he received the prestigious title of hokkyō, a high rank for Buddhist artists, and moved to Edo in 1704 to pursue lucrative commissions. His style was deeply shaped by the work of his ancestor Hon'ami Kōetsu and the painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu. Kōrin eventually returned to Kyoto in 1709, where he built a house and atelier on Shinmachi street. It was here, between 1712 and 1716, that he likely completed his masterpiece, the Red and White Plum Blossoms screens.

Though Kōrin died in 1716 at age 59, his influence endured through the efforts of his brother Kenzan and later the artist Sakai Hōitsu, who organized the first major exhibition of his work a century after his death. Today, Kōrin is recognized for his innovative use of gold-foiled paper and bold, stylized compositions. His legacy is preserved in works like the Irises screens, which utilize rhythmic patterns and stencils to capture nature, and his unique technique of painting plum blossoms without outlines, a method that continues to bear his name.

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