Chō Kōran

was a Japanese poet and artist, known for her study of Chinese arts and specialization in bunjinga ink paintings. She traveled extensively across Japan with her husband, fellow poet , and her poetry and artwork was published in several volumes. Later in life, she founded a private school and taught Chinese poetry to women.

Early life Kōran was born in 1804 in the village of Sone in Mino Province (now Gifu Prefecture). Her father was a country samurai. Kōran's parents encouraged her formal education – an unusual move in a culture that did not prioritize early academic learning for girls – and Kōran subsequently learned to read and write Chinese from her uncle, a priest at the Kakeiji temple.

Marriage and artistic career A 19th-century Japanese literati painting of a pine tree, similar to what Chō Kōran's ink paintings may have looked like. As a teenager, Kōran studied Chinese poetry under the instruction of well-known poet Yanagawa Seigan (1789–1858), and their relationship developed into something more. When Kōran was 17, she married Seigan. Kōran's interest in Chinese arts increased. After several years of travel, the couple settled in Kyoto. Kōran studied a type of ink art called bunjinga – styled after Chinese literati painting – and her reputation as an artist began to flourish. She drew attention for her ink paintings in the "Four Gentlemen" genre, creating images of bamboo, orchid, plum, and chrysanthemum. By 1830, Kōran was listed as a specialist of bunjinga in the publication Heian jinbutsu shi (Record of Heian [Kyoto] Notables).