Kōrin Picture Album (Kōrin gafu) 光琳画譜

Art Historical Context

This elegant woodblock-printed album, titled *Kōrin Picture Album* (*Kōrin gafu*), was created by the artist Nakamura Hōchū and first issued in the early nineteenth century, with this edition reprinted after 1826. Produced during Japan’s Edo period, the two-volume set takes the form of an *orihon*, or accordion-fold book, allowing pages to unfold like a continuous scroll. Its lively ink-and-color illustrations feature a delightful array of subjects—men and women, boats, cranes, deer, flowers, musicians, and games—capturing the playful spirit of everyday life and nature. Hōchū worked in the Rinpa tradition, drawing inspiration from the celebrated seventeenth-century painter Ogata Kōrin, whose name is honored in the album’s title. The woodblock medium enabled these refined designs to reach a broader audience beyond elite circles, blending fine-art aesthetics with the accessibility of printed books. Viewers today can appreciate the album’s rhythmic compositions and vibrant palette, which reflect the Rinpa emphasis on bold outlines, decorative patterns, and seasonal motifs. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013, this compact yet expansive work offers a window into Edo-period visual culture, where art, literature, and popular imagery intertwined. Its accordion format invites intimate, hands-on viewing, much as it would have delighted readers nearly two centuries ago.