Tawaraya Sōtatsu
Japanese painter and co-founder of the Rinpa school.
Tawaraya Sōtatsu (c. 1570 – c. 1640) was a Japanese painter and furniture designer associated with the Rinpa school. He is most famous for embellishing the calligraphy of his collaborator Hon'ami Kōetsu and for his striking folding screens, including the National Treasures *Wind God and Thunder God* and a scene from *The Tale of Genji*. He helped spread the *tarashikomi* technique, where paint is layered before the first coat dries. Along with Kōetsu, he is considered a founder of the Rinpa school—not a formal school but a loose group of artists influenced by them, such as Ogata Kōrin, Ogata Kenzan, and Sakai Hōitsu. Though little-known in his lifetime, Sōtatsu now ranks second among Japanese painters in number of works designated as National Treasures.
Details of his birth around 1570 and his birthplace are unknown. The painter Tani Bunchō later claimed Sōtatsu came from Noto and studied under Sumiyoshi Jokei in Kyoto; his family name may have been Nonomura. In 1602, he was hired by the Taira family to repair 12th-century sutra scrolls at Itsukushima shrine—his earliest known paintings, already showing his mature style. Kōetsu may have also worked on this project. Their first confirmed collaboration came around 1606 with the Sagabon project, a series of deluxe editions of classical texts and Noh librettos initiated by Suminokura Soan. Sōtatsu designed the covers and paper, while Kōetsu provided calligraphy. The name Sagabon comes from the Kyoto suburb where the books were made.
Sōtatsu married a cousin of Kōetsu and opened a shop in Kyoto called Tawaraya, selling decorated fans, lantern paper, screens, dolls, kimono patterns, and taking interior commissions. The shop gained a reputation for artistic quality. The partnership with Kōetsu ended around 1620, possibly because Sōtatsu shifted from decorative work to focus on painting. In 1621, he decorated doors and screens at Yōgen-in temple during a reconstruction ordered by Tokugawa Hidetada’s wife. In 1630, he received the title *hokkyō* ("Bridge of the Dharma"), the third-highest rank for Buddhist artists. His death around 1640 is undocumented. His most successful direct students were Tawaraya Sōsetsu and Kitagawa Sōsetsu.
Among his works, *Waves at Matsushima* (1620s) is sometimes considered his masterpiece. *Anthology with Cranes* is a handscroll decorated with silver and gold, featuring calligraphy by Kōetsu and poems from the Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry. It measures 34.1 cm by 1356 cm, is held by the Kyoto National Museum, and is an Important Cultural Property. *Poem Scroll with Deer*, another collaboration, shows deer alongside poems from the *Shin Kokinshu*; it was broken into fragments after World War II, with the largest portion at the Seattle Art Museum. *Wind God and Thunder God* is a pair of two-fold screens (169.8 cm by 154.5 cm each) in ink and color on gold-foiled paper, depicting Raijin and Fūjin. Though unsigned, its attribution to Sōtatsu is certain. The screens belong to Kennin-ji temple but are occasionally exhibited at the Kyoto National Museum. They are a National Treasure. Later Rinpa artists Ogata Kōrin and Sakai Hōitsu made their own versions in homage, and all three were shown together for the first time in 75 years at a 2015 Kyoto National Museum exhibition. *Dragons and Clouds*, at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., was not studied by Japanese art historians until 1971, when Yumane Yuzo linked it to works in Japan. Its earlier ownership is unknown before Charles Lang Freer bought it in 1905; it is now considered a fine example of Sōtatsu’s *tarashikomi* technique.
- born
- c. 1570
- died
- c. 1640
- field
- Furniture designer and painter
- nationality
- Japanese
- known_for
- Decorations of calligraphic works by Hon'ami Kōetsu; byōbu folding screens such
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The exact date of Sōtatsu's birth, probably around 1570, remains unknown, and so does the place of his birth. The painter Tani Bunchō (1763–1841) stated that Sōtatsu was originally from Noto and that he studied under Sumiyoshi Jokei in Kyoto. His family name may have been Nonomura. In 1602 he was hired by the Taira family to repair the 12th-century sutra scrolls Heike nōkyō at the Itsukushima shrine on Miyajima. This is the earliest paintings attributed to Sōtatsu, but it already features the characteristics of his later work. It is suspected that Kōetsu might have also worked in the repair of the scroll. Sōtatsu married a cousin of Koetsu. He also opened a shop in Kyoto, named Tawaraya, where he sold a variety of decorated objects, including fans, lantern paper, screens, dolls and patterns for kimono, and also took commissions for decorating interiors. The shop soon gained recognition for its artistic excellence. The first confirmed collaboration with Hon'ami Kōetsu is in the Sagabon (Saga Books), an ambitious project started around 1606 by Suminokura Soan (1571–1632) to publish elaborate editions of classical Japanese book and Noh librettos. Sōtatsu created the designs for the covers and paper of many of the books, while Kōetsu was the calligrapher of some of the texts. The collaboration between Sōtatsu and Kōetsu came to an end around 1620, perhaps because he was moving away from the profession of decorator and designer, and started focusing more on his career as a painter. He decorated the doors and screens of the Yōgen-in temple during the reconstruction ordered by Tokugawa Hidetada's wife in 1621, and in 1630 he was given the title of hokkyō ("Bridge of the Dharma"), the third highest rank awarded to Buddhist artists. The circumstances of Sōtatsu's death are not known, but he probably died around 1640. The most successful among his direct students were Tawaraya Sōsetsu and Kitawaga Sōsetsu.
Reader's Guide
Tawaraya Sōtatsu is significant as a co-founder of the Rinpa school, a group of artists directly influenced by him and Hon'ami Kōetsu. Some of the most notable Rinpa artists are Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716), Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743) and Sakai Hōitsu (1761–1828). While not particularly known at the time he lived and painted, he is now the second-most recognized Japanese painter in terms of number of inclusions in the National Treasures of Japan list. His National Treasure Wind God and Thunder God is a pair of two-folded screens made using ink and color on gold-foiled paper, depicting Raijin and Fūjin. The screens have no inscription or seal, but its attribution to Tawaraya Sotatsu is not questioned. Two other major Rinpa figures, Ogata Kōrin and Sakai Hōitsu, replicated the painting in homage. All three versions were displayed together for the first time in seventy-five years in 2015 at the Kyoto National Museum exhibition "Rinpa: The Aesthetics of the Capital". Another major work is Waves at Matsushima, painted in the 1620s, considered by some to be Sōtatsu's masterwork. He popularized the tarashikomi technique, exemplified in Dragons and Clouds at the Freer Gallery of Art, where ink is artfully pooled to create features such as the clouds. His collaboration with Kōetsu produced works such as Anthology with Cranes, a handscroll decorated with silver and gold pigment containing waka poems from the Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, and Poem Scroll with Deer, with poems from the anthology Shin Kokinshu. The Freer Gallery of Art organized the first retrospective outside Japan from October 2015 to January 2016.
Did You Know?
- Sōtatsu's family name may have been Nonomura, according to the painter Tani Bunchō.
- In 1630 he was given the title hokkyō ('Bridge of the Dharma'), the third highest rank awarded to Buddhist artists.
- The handscroll Anthology with Cranes measures 34.1 cm x 1356 cm and is an Important Cultural Property at the Kyoto National Museum.
- The Poem Scroll with Deer was split into fragments after World War II; the largest contiguous section is at the Seattle Art Museum.
- The Freer Gallery of Art organized the first retrospective of Sōtatsu's work outside Japan from October 2015 to January 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tawaraya Sōtatsu?
Tawaraya Sōtatsu (c. 1570–c. 1640) was a Japanese furniture designer and painter who is widely regarded as one of the two co-founders of the Rinpa school of art. He is especially celebrated for his decorative paintings and large byōbu folding screens.
What are Tawaraya Sōtatsu's most famous works?
His best-known pieces include the byōbu folding screens depicting the Wind God and the Thunder God, both designated as National Treasures of Japan. He is also famous for the ornamental designs he created to accompany calligraphic scrolls by his collaborator Hon'ami Kōetsu.
What is the tarashikomi technique and how did Sōtatsu connect to it?
Tarashikomi is a wet-on-wet method in which pigments are dripped onto a damp surface so they flow and blend into organic, flowing patterns. Sōtatsu is credited with popularizing this technique and weaving it into the visual language of the Rinpa school.
How did Tawaraya Sōtatsu's partnership with Hon'ami Kōetsu work?
The two artists divided their creative labor: Kōetsu produced the calligraphy and literary content, while Sōtatsu supplied the painted decorations, patterned papers, and overall design. Together they are credited as the joint founders of the Rinpa school.
Why is Tawaraya Sōtatsu important in the history of Japanese art?
He helped elevate decorative painting and furniture design to a recognized high-art discipline by establishing the distinctive Rinpa aesthetic of bold color, flowing lines, and natural motifs. His influence on subsequent generations of Japanese painters and designers remains a cornerstone of the tradition.
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