Ohara Koson's Irises, presented with a refined contemporary framing.

Ohara Koson (1877–1945) was a prominent Japanese painter and woodblock print designer who became a leading figure in the shin-hanga (new prints) movement. Born in Kanazawa as Ohara Matao, he studied traditional painting under Suzuki Kason before shifting his focus to kacho-e (bird-and-flower pictures). Working closely with influential publishers like Watanabe Shozaburo, Koson modernized this classic genre by blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with Western realism.

His works gained immense popularity abroad, particularly in the United States and Europe, where his masterful use of color, texture, and light captured the serene beauty of the natural world.Koson's prints are celebrated for their extraordinary technical precision and deep poetic sensitivity toward nature. He possessed a rare ability to depict the soft texture of feathers, the glint of an owl's eye, and the delicate weight of snow on a branch.

Throughout his career, he signed his work under three different names—Koson, Shoson, and Hoson—each marking distinct periods of his artistic evolution and collaborations with different publishers. Today, his vast catalog of prints remains highly sought after by collectors globally, serving as a definitive bridge between late Meiji-era realism and modern 20th-century printmaking.