Reader Collection > Exhibitions > Rinpa Revivals

Introduction

The Japanese word “rinpa” means school (pa) of Kōrin (rin), referring to Kōrin Ogata (1658-1716) who was a major contributor to a style of art first practiced in the seventeenth century. One of Kōrin’s screen paintings is shown below to illustrate two characteristic features of Rinpa art; namely, smooth curves and repetition. Each of the objects appearing in the picture – water, flower and crane - has an exaggerated curvilinear shape with smooth edges. Each object is also repeated - 2 streams, 11 flowers and 12 cranes. Both the smoothing of shapes and repetition of objects helps to create the illusion of motion and interaction, which brings a picture to life.

The use of Rinpa style by Japanese artists declined after Kōrin’s death in the early eighteenth century. However, its use was later revived, not just once but three times, at intervals about a century apart (i.e., early nineteenth century, early twentieth century, early twenty-first century). Examples of Rinpa-style art from each of these three revivals are presented in this virtual exhibition. These examples were chosen from prints in the Reader Collection of Japanese Flower and Bird Art. For each print the following information is provided:  artist’s name and dates of birth and death (if known), names of the flowers and (or) birds, book name and publishing date (if any), printing method and picture size. The prints are grouped and presented by revival date, starting with the early nineteenth century revival.

 19^th Century Revival

Hōitsu Sakai (1761-1828)

Water-lily (Nuphar japonicum) and common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), woodblock print, 180 x 215 mm

 19^th Century Revival

Hōitsu Sakai (1761-1828)

White-naped crane (Grus vipio), included in Ōson Gafu (i.e., Picture Album by Ōson), 1817, woodblock print, 370 x 255 mm 

Florist’s chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum grandiflorum), included in in Ōson Gafu (i.e., Picture Album by Ōson), 1817, woodblock print, 370 x 255 mm    

 20^th Century Revival

Sekka Kamisaka (1866-1942)

Red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), included in Chigusa (i.e., One Thousand Grasses), 1899-1905, woodblock print, 235 x 350 mm

 20^th Century Revival

Sekka Kamisaka (1866-1942)

Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus), included in Momoyogusa (i.e., Flowers of a Hundred Generations), 1909-1910, woodblock print, 500 x 335 mm

Little egret (Egretta garzetta), included in Momoyogusa (i.e., Flowers of a Hundred Generations), 1909-1910, woodblock print, 500 x 340 mm

 20^th Century Revival

Kyōzō Yamada (active 1930s)

Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), woodblock print, 330 x 440 mm

 20^th Century Revival

Kyōzō Yamada (active 1930s)

Marlberry (Ardisia japonica) and winter wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), woodblock print, 330 x 440 mm

Lespedeza (Lespedeza sp.) and goldcrest (Regulus regulus), woodblock print, 330 x 440 mm

 20^th Century Revival

Kōyō Nakagawa (active 1930s)

Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), included in Kachō Zu (i.e., Drawings of Flowers and Birds), 1930, woodblock print, 300 x 425 mm

 20^th Century Revival   Kōyō Nakagawa (active 1930s)

Lespedeza (Lespedeza sp.) and Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), included in Kachō Zu (i.e., Drawings of Flowers and Birds), 1930, woodblock print, 300 x 425 mm

Florist’s chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum grandiflorum) and varied tit (Sittiparus varius), included in Kachō Zu (i.e., Drawings of Flowers and Birds), 1930, woodblock print, 300 x 425 mm

 21^th Century Revival

Fumiaki Mutō (active 2000s)

Lespedeza (Lespedeza sp.), balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), scabious patrinia (Patrinia scabiosifolia) and green pheasant (Phasianus versicolor), digital print, 420 x 570 mm

 21^th Century Revival   Fumiaki Mutō (active 2000s)

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum sp.) and mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), digital print, 420 x 570 mm

Japanese iris (Iris ensata), monochoria (Monochoria korsakowii) and common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), digital print, 420 x 570 mm

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