Red and White Plum Blossoms (Blue Dragon and White Tortoise)

A contemporary reinterpretation of Ogata Kōrin’s celebrated “Red and White Plum Blossoms,” 
expressed through the poetic language of patterns.

Inspired also by Tawaraya Sōtatsu’s “Wind and Thunder Gods,” 
which Kōrin is said to have studied and reinterpreted, 
this work incorporates the dragon and tortoise as symbolic presences.

Conceived as a new homage to both Kōrin and Sōtatsu, 
whose works have been loved continuously since the Edo period, 
this piece seeks to open a new artistic horizon.

While “Red and White Plum Blossoms” has long been reproduced as painting by countless artists, 
this work is neither painting, nor mere decoration or craft through pattern, nor abstraction alone. 
It is an unprecedented interpretation of “Red and White Plum Blossoms” through the medium of pattern itself.

Born from the Japanese concept of “aeru” — the harmonious blending of different elements — 
this work aspires toward a new form of beauty.

Oct 2025
Karakami Artist
Choemon Senda