Six-panel screen with poppies and chrysanthemums

The term Rimpa (or Rinpa) derives from the combination of the last syllable of Kōrin’s name and the world ha (converted into pa), which means “school”. It was used to describe a highly sophisticated decorative style initiated by the painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu in the early seventeenth century and was continued by the Kōrin brothers in the next century. It is characterised by a use of defined outlines and striking combinations of colours and had a notable influence on painting on silk, screens, fans, ceramics, lacquer and ritual objects.