The Frog by Matsumoto Hōji

Описание: Two dots. One curve.
And somehow, a townsman’s frog jumped far beyond the old masters.

This video looks at Matsumoto Hōji’s Frog, from Meika gafu (Album of Pictures by Celebrated Artists), printed in 1814 — a picture so simple that it feels modern, yet so warm that it has outlived far grander works.

Hōji wasn’t a monk or an elite painter.
He wasn’t trained under any famous lineage.
He worked as a hyōgushi, a craftsman who mounted other people’s scrolls in Osaka.

But in his free time?
He painted frogs.

He bred them, studied them, adored them.
Some he drew with careful realism.
Others — like this one — as plump, front-facing creatures full of humour and heart.
Osaka merchants loved them as lucky charms: kaeru means both “frog” and “to return,” so customers, money, and happiness might return too.

Yet despite his popularity among townspeople, Hōji never entered the “official” art canon.
While names like Jakuchū and Buson filled textbooks, Hōji disappeared.

Until he didn’t.

In 2007, the Osaka Museum of History held the first exhibition devoted to him.
That same year, the British Museum displayed Meika gafu and digitised it — and the frog’s quiet charm spread across the world.

Today, Hōji’s frog lives everywhere: on posters, T-shirts, stickers, plush toys, and memes.
Minimalist. Playful. A little sad. A little wise.
It speaks a language modern culture instantly understands.

And it leaves us with a question:
Who decides what counts as great art — institutions, or the people whose hearts are moved?

If this little frog made you smile or think, please like the video, subscribe, and share your thoughts below.

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