Woodcuts by Furuya Korin for Bijut Sukai, Meiji Period, 1901

Highly influenced by the Rinpa (Rimpa) movement, Furuya Korin was a master meiji era painter and designer of woodblock-printed books. He was born in the Village of Kaizu in Shinga Prefecture. In Kyoto (Tokyo), he studied under the Shijo-style painter (Maruyama-Shijo school), Suzuki Mannen, the Rinpa revivalist Kamisaka Sekka, the leading Western-style-painter, Asai Chu and others. Korin won first prize at the 2nd annual Shinko Bijutsu Tenrankaiand taught at the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts where he became an assistant professor. Korin was amongst the leading designers of large woodblock-printed ‘gafu’ picture albums & ‘Ehon’ picture books.