“Koson brought bird-and-flower imagery to a new level of poetic realism, balancing natural observation with an unmistakably modern sense of design.” —Kendall H. Brown, Shin Hanga historian
“Koson’s kacho-ga achieve their power through understatement—subtle gradations of color, carefully cropped compositions, and an acute awareness of seasonal mood.” —Andreas Marks, Japanese print scholar, author, and curator
Koson Ohara (also Shoson and Hoson, 1877–1945) was one of the most renowned Japanese artists of early 20th-century kacho-ga (bird-and-flower pictures) woodblock printmaking. With meticulous detail, sensitive color, and a palpable reverence for flora and fauna, Koson helped bring the genre into the modern era.
Koson was born in Kanazawa with the given name Matao Ohara. He began his artistic career studying painting under the Shijo-style master Kason. Around the turn of the century, Koson was associated with the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, where he came into contact with Ernest Fenollosa, the American collector and scholar who played a central role in introducing Japanese art to Western audiences. Fenollosa encouraged and supported Koson’s efforts to bring his bird-and-flower imagery to American collectors.
Around 1905, Koson began producing woodblock prints. Between 1900 and 1912, he worked with several publishers and designed a series of Russo-Japanese War prints, reflecting the commercial demand for wartime imagery, as well as genre landscapes, though his primary focus remained kacho-ga. His earliest and rarest designs are notable for their narrow formats and soft, atmospheric color. Most of his early woodblock prints were signed or sealed Koson and were published by firms including Kokkeid0 and Daikokuya. After 1912, he adopted the name Shoson and devoted himself primarily to painting.
A decade later, Koson returned to printmaking, a renewal that coincided with and significantly contributed to the Shin Hanga movement. In 1926, he began designing woodblock prints for the esteemed publisher Shozaburo Watanabe. Around 1930, he adopted the name Hoson for designs collaboratively published by Sakai and Kawaguchi. During this later period, he also served in an advisory capacity to the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
Koson’s prints are held in major museum collections worldwide, including the British Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Freer Gallery of Art, the Harvard Art Museums, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
