Ohara Koson (1877–1945) was a Japanese painter and woodblock print designer celebrated for his mastery of kachō-e (bird-and-flower) art during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born Ohara Matao in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, he likely began his artistic training at the Ishikawa Prefecture Technical School from 1889 to 1893. Koson later studied under Suzuki Kason, a prominent painter, and adopted his mentor’s name as part of his artistic identity. Moving to Tokyo in the mid-to-late 1890s, he initially created ukiyo-e triptychs depicting the Russo-Japanese War but soon focused on nature-themed prints. A key figure in the shin-hanga ("new prints") movement, he worked with publishers like Watanabe Shōzaburō, producing around 500 works under names like Ohara Hōson, Ohara Shōson, and Koson. His vivid, detailed designs of birds, flowers, and landscapes gained immense popularity in the United States and Europe.