Water Lilies (睡蓮)

Ohara Koson (1877–1945) was one of the defining masters of shin-hanga, the early 20th-century movement that revitalized Japanese woodblock printing by blending traditional techniques with modern sensibilities. Renowned for his exquisite kachō-ga—bird-and-flower studies rendered with poetic restraint—Koson brought a quiet, atmospheric elegance to the genre. His prints capture the delicate tremor of a heron's feathers, the sudden lift of an owl's wings, the shimmer of moonlight on rippling water, each scene distilled into a moment of stillness and refined beauty. Though trained in classical painting, Koson developed a distinctly modern visual language marked by subtle gradients, precise carving, and a sensitivity to mood that set him apart from his contemporaries.

Over the course of his prolific career, Koson designed more than four hundred prints, many created in collaboration with the forward-thinking publishers Watanabe Shōzaburō and later Kawaguchi. His work found an enthusiastic audience both in Japan and abroad, especially in the United States, where collectors were captivated by the serenity and craftsmanship of his nature studies. Whether depicting cranes in snow, moonlit trees, or fleeting moments of wildlife in motion, Koson transformed familiar motifs into meditations on light, silence, and the intimate drama of the natural world. Today, his prints stand as some of the most beloved examples of shin-hanga—celebrated for their tranquility, artistry, and the way they elevate everyday encounters with nature into timeless works of art.