Two Women in the Rain is a shin-hanga woodblock print by Ohara Koson (1877–1945), whose career was centred on kachō-e — bird-and-flower subjects — but who also made a small number of figure compositions. The design shows two women caught in a downpour, their umbrellas tilted against the rain. The scene is quiet and momentary: two figures in the middle of an ordinary afternoon, pressing through the weather.
The print is a colour woodblock. Rain is rendered as fine diagonal lines printed in a pale, transparent ink over the figures and the ground, so the rain and the women occupy the same visual layer rather than one being behind the other. The umbrellas are the strongest colour notes; the ground is soft and blurred, suggesting wet streets and soft light. Koson handles the human figure with the same economy he brought to his birds.
It is a gentle, atmospheric image, intimate in scale and mood. The blurred ground and the rainy light give it a soft, diffuse quality t . . . Read More >>
Two Women in the Rain is a shin-hanga woodblock print by Ohara Koson (1877–1945), whose career was centred on kachō-e — bird-and-flower subjects — but who also made a small number of figure compositions. The design shows two women caught in a downpour, their umbrellas tilted against the rain. The scene is quiet and momentary: two figures in the middle of an ordinary afternoon, pressing through the weather.
The print is a colour woodblock. Rain is rendered as fine diagonal lines printed in a pale, transparent ink over the figures and the ground, so the rain and the women occupy the same visual layer rather than one being behind the other. The umbrellas are the strongest colour notes; the ground is soft and blurred, suggesting wet streets and soft light. Koson handles the human figure with the same economy he brought to his birds.
It is a gentle, atmospheric image, intimate in scale and mood. The blurred ground and the rainy light give it a soft, diffuse quality that suits a bedroom, a bathroom, or a reading corner, and its soft palette sits easily in rooms with natural wood and pale textiles.
The print is offered on thick, snow-white fine art paper, as a ready-to-hang framed edition with a wooden frame, or as a satin canvas stretched over a wooden frame.
Frequently asked questions
What does Two Women in the Rain show?
Two women walking through a rainstorm with umbrellas tilted against the weather — a quiet, momentary scene of everyday life in Japan.
Is figure work typical of Ohara Koson?
Koson is best known for his kachō-e bird-and-flower prints, but he made a small number of figure compositions. This rain scene is among the most admired of those.
How is the rain shown in the print?
As fine diagonal lines printed in thin, transparent ink that overlay both the figures and the ground, placing rain and women in the same visual layer.
Which rooms suit this atmospheric print?
Its soft, diffuse quality and quiet mood suit a bedroom, a bathroom, or a reading corner with natural wood and pale textiles.
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Japan historical period: Showa 昭和 (1926-1989)
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