The Masterpiece Irises: Delivering Life Value and Special Insights to You
Hello. I am Mimi Takamizawa.
Are you feeling a little tired from your daily work and life right now?
I know how hard you work every day, and I would love to have a relaxed conversation with you today.
Let’s share a wonderful moment together, as if we were standing in front of a painting, chatting with each other.
I will sincerely answer any doubts or simple questions you might have about art.
Table of Contents to Brighten Your Daily Life
- Encountering the National Treasure Irises, a Masterpiece to Heal Your Fatigue
- Why Ogata Korin’s Work Can Solve Your Problems
- Ogata Korin’s Tumultuous Life and His Common Ground with You
- Lessons Your Contemporaries and Rivals Teach You
- How to Live Your Life Learned from the Quotes of Henry Ford and Tokuji Munetsugu
- The Significant Loss You Face If You Do Not Engage with Art
- Where Can You See It Now? A Luxurious Time Awaiting You
Encountering the National Treasure Irises, a Masterpiece to Heal Your Fatigue
Why Should You View This Work Right Now?
Have you been taking the time to rest your heart lately?
Are you spending your busy days constantly checking the clock?
Have you ever thought, “Art has nothing to do with me”?
Please do not worry.
The masterpiece Irises (Kakitsubata-zu Byobu) by Ogata Korin, which I am introducing to you here, was created truly for you.
First, let me share the basic details of this artwork in brief:
- Title: Irises (Kakitsubata-zu Byobu, pair of six-panel folding screens)
- Artist: Ogata Korin
- Date of Creation: Early 18th century (Mid-Edo period)
- Medium/Technique: Color on gold-leafed paper (blue and green pigments on a gold background)
- Dimensions: Each screen measures 150.9 cm (height) × 338.8 cm (width)
- Designation: National Treasure of Japan
- Location: Nezu Museum (Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
What do you think?
Combined, the total width exceeds 6 meters.
Imagine a massive, dazzling golden surface spreading out right before your eyes.
The Beautiful Rhythm of Blue and Green Captivating Your Eyes
Imagine yourself standing in front of these folding screens.
The entire background is a brilliant, shining gold leaf.
Rendered on it are only vibrant, violet-blue irises (kakitsubata) and fresh green leaves.
There is no ground, nor any unnecessary background scenery drawn at all.
Don’t you wonder, “Why didn’t he paint the rest of the scenery?”
Korin stripped away every unneeded element.
Deep azurite blue (gunjo) and malachite green (rokusho).
He generously used only these two highest-quality pigments to depict the cluster of flowers.
The flowers leap and flow from right to left like a musical melody.
Doesn’t an image of a clear breeze and light instantly float into your mind?
Why Ogata Korin’s Work Can Solve Your Problems
Why Engaging with Art Improves the Quality of Your Living
Are you skeptical, thinking, “Can looking at a painting really solve my problems?”
That question is completely natural.
However, let me tell you the facts.
Exceptional works of art deeply comfort those who view them.
When you are troubled by daily stress or interpersonal relationships, looking at the gold leaf and vivid blue of Irises makes the noise in your mind quietly vanish.
Are you aware that you, who are always working so hard, are in need of rest?
Mimi Takamizawa’s art serves your life with utmost sincerity.
Because you, as the “protagonist” of your own story, have the right to claim a life of “value.”
This work possesses a powerful ability to solve your urgent problem of “not being able to rest your mind.”
First-Rate Art Erases Boring Hours
I am greatly influenced by the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl.
Frankl taught us that anyone can find “meaning” in life.
Anyone can live a life filled with “meaning.”
Creating a meaningful story.
If you hold a purpose in life, you will never feel bored from the moment you wake up in the morning until you fall asleep at night. Your idle time disappears.
When you touch upon a historic masterpiece like Irises, a purpose to “savor beauty” takes root in your heart.
The time in your daily routine that used to merely pass by transforms into a rich experience.
If there is a work that fails to charm you even after you have viewed it repeatedly and acquired various insights, that piece is simply poorly made.
A work that cannot convince you is a failure.
Yet, this Irises has captivated the hearts of countless people over hundreds of years.
It holds an overwhelming, authentic power that reaches you in an instant.
Ogata Korin’s Tumultuous Life and His Common Ground with You
The True Image of a Painter Who Rose Above Setbacks
Do you think Ogata Korin was a successful painter from the very beginning?
In fact, he was not.
Korin was born as the second son of “Kariganeya,” a high-class textile merchant in Kyoto.
In his youth, he squandered his days on play and extravagance, wasting away his inherited fortune in a major failure.
In financial distress, and driven by a need to support his wife and loved ones, he finally began working earnestly as a painter in his 40s.
It was a late start.
Do you also have moments in life when you panic, thinking, “Is it too late?” or “I have failed”?
There is no need to give up.
Korin turned his setbacks into nourishment and produced groundbreaking designs that no one had ever seen before.
The motifs he painted came to be known as “Korin Patterns” (Korin-moyou) and are still used on kimonos and crafts today.
Korin overcame the hardships of his life to deliver the ultimate beauty to you.
The “Yatsuhashi” Episode of The Tales of Ise and Its Message to You
Behind this work Irises lies a famous story from The Tales of Ise.
Long ago, a nobleman was banished from the capital and set out on a journey to the East with a broken heart.
Leaving his beloved wife behind in the capital, he arrived at a famous iris spot called “Yatsuhashi” (Eight Bridges).
There, he composed a poem placing the five syllables of iris (ka-ki-tsu-ba-ta) at the beginning of each line:
“I wear my familiar robes (karakoromo) as I think of my wife whom I have grown accustomed to (kitsu), and as I have traveled so far (kine), my thoughts turn back to her (ba-ta).”
It depicts a man yearning for his distant wife and enduring the loneliness of travel.
Korin painted no bridges on these screens, choosing to depict only the irises.
He deliberately omitted the bridges so that the viewer—that is, you—could become the protagonist of that story.
Don’t you also experience moments in your daily work where you feel lonely or push through difficulties while thinking of someone precious to you?
These folding screens gently embrace your poignant feelings and hard work.
Lessons Your Contemporaries and Rivals Teach You
The Struggle Against Traditions Like the Kano and Sumiyoshi Schools
During the mid-Edo period when Korin lived, there were formidable rivals in the world of painting.
These included painters of the Kano school, who served the Shogunate, and the traditional Sumiyoshi school.
They adhered to old models and created formal, rigid paintings.
What would have happened if Korin had merely imitated them?
Without a doubt, he would have been buried in history.
Korin studied the classics of traditional Yamato-e painting while incorporating completely new, groundbreaking design sensibilities.
Do you ever feel suffocated at work when forced to do things “the same way as everyone else”?
Korin’s way of life teaches you this:
“It is okay to believe in your individuality and choose a new path.”
The Ultimate Collaboration with His Younger Brother, Ogata Kenzan
Korin had a talented younger brother, Ogata Kenzan, who was a master ceramicist.
The brothers collaborated, establishing a highly popular style where Korin painted designs onto the pottery crafted by Kenzan.
Kenzan proudly remarked on his brother’s talent, saying, “Whatever my brother paints instantly becomes a beautiful pattern.”
Rather than carrying everything alone, cooperate with trusted individuals to create wonderful things.
Isn’t this a lesson that applies directly to your modern work and personal relationships?
How to Live Your Life Learned from the Quotes of Henry Ford and Tokuji Munetsugu
True Success Is Giving
Allow me to introduce a quote that has influenced me the most.
It is a famous saying by the American Henry Ford, who created a society where anyone could drive an automobile:
“Most people think that success is about getting something. But in truth, success is about giving.”
This quote directly connects to your daily living.
When you focus solely on gaining things for yourself, your heart grows impoverished, and anxiety builds up.
However, when you adopt an attitude of “giving” value and smiles to your family and colleagues, your life improves dramatically.
Korin, too, continually “gave” overwhelming beauty and solace to viewers through his art.
That is precisely why he remains beloved even today, more than 300 years later.
The Strength of Focusing on One Thing
Here, I would like to share the words of another leader who deeply influenced me: Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of CoCo Ichibanya.
“Do not look aside; dedicate yourself entirely to management.”
“Nothing goes well from the start, so do not give up and keep persisting. Business is a daily accumulation of effort and gratitude. Work 5,640 hours a year (15.5 hours a day, 365 days a year).”
“During my active years, I had no hobbies and made no personal friends. I never went out drinking. I did nothing that would interfere with my work. There were years I worked 5,640 hours. I believed that if I did not lead by example, my employees would not work for me.”
How do you feel when you hear these words?
Do you think, “It is impossible for me to work that much”?
The core takeaway is not the labor hours themselves.
It is the attitude of “not looking aside and devoting passion to what lies right in front of you.”
Once Korin found his calling in his 40s, he poured his entire creative energy into every surface—paper, silk, kimonos, inkstone boxes, and ceramics.
When you throw yourself wholeheartedly into something as the “protagonist” of your own life, a powerful energy like that of Munetsugu or Korin will well up within you.
The Significant Loss You Face If You Do Not Engage with Art
Avoid the Risk of Losing Emotional Nourishment
If you keep pushing art away, thinking, “I am too busy to look at art,” what will you end up losing?
The answer is clear.
You lose your “inner sanctuary” where you reset daily stress.
Your life risks becoming a mere loop between home and work, rendering your daily routine monochrome and dull.
Don’t you think that is far too wasteful?
Great artists from the past offer you the “colors to enjoy life.”
They help you avoid issues such as emotional dryness and burnout.
Clearing Your Doubts! Art Is Never Difficult
“Isn’t art hard to enjoy without deep knowledge?”
Are you holding onto such doubts or anxieties?
Please rest assured.
No difficult knowledge is required at all.
Simply looking at the canvas and feeling, “Wow, what a beautiful blue,” or “The gold background is magnificent,” is more than enough.
Just viewing it releases and heals your mind and spirit.
Art is not a difficult academic subject; it is the ultimate service designed to bring a smile to your face.
Where Can You See It Now? A Luxurious Time Awaiting You
A Special Place Where You Can Encounter It for Only One Month a Year
Where do you think this historic masterpiece Irises is kept today?
It is carefully housed at the Nezu Museum in Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
However, it cannot be viewed at just any time.
To preserve the work, it is placed on public display for only one month a year during a special spring exhibition (around April to May, when the iris flowers bloom).
Viewing Korin’s painted irises inside the museum during the exact season when real irises bloom in the garden…
Could there be any time more luxurious and captivating than this?
A Decision for Yourself
I have special news for you.
You have an immediate opportunity to enrich your life right now.
Try standing in front of the actual Irises screens at least once.
You will surely be amazed by its overwhelming presence and refined beauty.
Instead of waiting to receive from someone else, take in this rich beauty yourself and pass on those smiles to the people around you.
Did you feel a desire to go and see this masterpiece?
And how do you wish to create the story of your life from here on?
Mimi Takamizawa sincerely supports you as you step forward into brighter days alongside wonderful art.
