Furuya Kōrin

 

Furuya Kōrin (1875–1910) was a Japanese artist and designer active during the late Meiji period, celebrated for his contributions to the Shin-Bijutsukai (New Oceans of Art) design journals published by Unsōdō in Kyoto. A key figure in the modernisation of Japanese design, Kōrin served as both editor and principal designer for the early volumes, curating compositions that fused traditional motifs with the emerging Art Nouveau style.

 

His work is distinguished by stylised natural forms — bamboo, grasses, waves, and blossoms. Drawing inspiration from the Rinpa school, Kōrin reinterpreted nature through flowing lines and rhythmic pattern, embodying the Meiji pursuit of shin bijutsu (“new beauty”) that sought harmony between tradition and modern design. Blending tradition and innovation, Kōrin helped define a distinctly modern Japanese aesthetic that continues to influence design today.

 

Although his career was brief — he died at just 35 — Furuya Kōrin’s designs left a lasting legacy, shaping the evolution of modern textile, graphic, and interior design in early twentieth-century Japan.

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