Wisteria Maiden

By the 19th century, the simple paintings produced in O_tsu had become famous throughout Japan, and artists of other schools sometimes imitated the O_tsu-e style. Ho_gyoku, an artist of the Shijo_ School, borrowed the wisteria maiden, a theme commonly rendered by O_tsu-e artists, for this woodblock-printed fan. His own artistic pedigree is evident only in the slight softening of the outlines and colors. Otherwise, he imitates the rough, exuberant style of O_tsu-e.