Lilies with Hydrangea and Hollyhocks

Although not a direct student of Ogata Kōrin, Hōitsu was inspired by and studied extensively Kōrin’s paintings, beginning with those in his own family’s collection. Subsequently, he conducted a wide-ranging survey of Kōrin’s extant paintings, and compiled them in a woodblock-printed book that he titled One Hundred Paintings by Kōrin (Kōrin hyakuzu). Hōitsu is also credited with transmitting Kōrin’s style, the Rinpa style, to the capital Edo (now Tokyo). In this two-panel screen combining summertime flowers, Hōitsu uses a number of painting techniques characteristic of his Rinpa forebears, including the distinctive dripping technique known as tarashikomi.