Saru Gallery
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Biography Okuhara, Seiko 奥原 清曠 (1837 - 1913)

Seiko Okuhara was born the daughter of a high-ranking samurai in the service of the lord of Koga. Subsequently she was adopted into the Okuhara family. While in Tokyo she taught herself to paint in the manner of the Ch'ing literati style, studying Ming and Ch'ing paintings.
She was a highly unconventional individual, nicknamed the "Amazon". Her paintings were in great demand until the general public's taste moved in the direction of Western-style painting. She retired to Kumagaya, where she continued painting in her own individual style. She was a prolific artist, and her work was often imitated.