Red and White Plum Blossoms

Red and White Plum Blossoms (紙本金地著色紅白梅図 shihonkinjichakushoku kōhakubaizu) is an early 18th-century painting on a pair of two-panel byōbu folding screens by Japanese artist Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716).

[1] The simple, stylized composition depicts a patterned flowing river with a white plum tree on the left and a red one on the right.

[5] Based on evidence such as the signature, technique, and composition, art historian Yūzō Yamane [ja] dates the work to 1714 or 1715, just before the artist's death.

[3] Square lattice patterns throughout the composition have led to the assumption the painting was made with a lower layer of silver and gold leaf.

[9] Mokichi Okada began negotiations to purchase the screens in 1953 with the descendants of the daimyōs of the Tsugaru clan, who may have been the original owners; the transfer was concluded in 1954.

[8] The NHK historical drama Genroku Ryōran [ja] used a computer-animated version of Red and White Plum Blossoms during its opening credits.