Credited with shaping the Rinpa style of Japanese art, Ogata Korin (1658-1716) once caused a sensation at an opulent riverside picnic by nonchalantly producing his lunch tied up in a bamboo leaf. Onlookers watched in disbelief as the master unwrapped his simple fare, revealing that the underside of the leaf was lavishly painted with Rinpa designs. Korin then casually tossed the leaf into the river.
A rugged kirei-sabi by Takuo NakamuraThis is an example of kirei-sabi, an aesthetic term whose English translation, "elegant simplicity," only hints at its essence. Kirei-sabi married the subdued ideals of Sen no Rikyu (1522-91) to the colorful tastes of Edo Japan.
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