Rinpa and Sōtatsu

    The artwork I chose is called Dragons and Clouds by Tawaraya Sōtatsu and it can be found at The Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art in Washington DC. Tawaraya Sōtatsu was a late 16th and early 17th century artist based in Kyoto, Japan. "When the ancient royal court ceded its power to rising classes of warriors and merchants, a new audience emerged, eager to bedeck itself with the trappings of the cultural elite. Sōtatsu, through his experimental painting techniques and brilliantly conceived compositions, transformed and translated Japan’s tightly controlled courtly artistic style for this new age" (Smithsonian). He is best known for being a co-founder of the Rinpa school of artists along with Hon’ami Koetsu. Together they created many famous paintings paired with calligraphy. “Sōtatsu’s influence cannot be overstated. By the late nineteenth century, Rinpa was firmly established as a major movement and, to some extent, became synonymous in the West with Japanese culture” (Smithsonian). He is famous for using the technique called tarashikomi, which can be seen in Dragons and Clouds. This technique is when a second layer of paint is applied before the first layer is dry creating an illusion of depth and dripping to create fine details. “In his application of the tarashikomi technique... Sōtatsu subtly subverted the tradition. He used ink to depict the ordinary subjects... in a style that took on an allusive ambiguity” (Smithsonian). “Dragons and Clouds is Sōtatsu’s largest ink and water piece, covering six screen panels. It depicts two dragons, one rising into the heavens in spring and the other descending into the abyss in autumn. It is said to symbolize “the seasonal cycle and the abundance of the natural world” (Smithsonian). Unfortunately, we do not know the date it was created or if it was painted for a specific patron but there is conjecture on it being painted before his other two most famous works called The Gods of Wind and Thunder and Waves at Matsushima since, “Sōtatsu clearly was interested in cosmology and the sources of water and fertility, as those themes are displayed in his most important works” (Smithsonian). The only other information we may know about him is that he opened a fan shop in Kyoto, called Tawaraya, that specialized in art fans and other decorative pieces that were sold to the upper-class merchants and possibly aristocrats. Once he passed, he vanished into obscurity.   

Dragons and Clouds

 
 

   While researching Tawayara Sōtatsu, I found a journal article titled “Rinpa Artists and the Samurai Class” by Tomoko Emura on JSTOR. “In Japanese art historical studies, works of the Kano school are usually considered to have been commissioned primarily by the samurai class, while works of the Rinpa school are regarded as having been made mainly for the merchant class” (Emura 2). In his essay, Emura endeavors to show that this is not necessarily true. Rinpa art and artists were also appreciated by the samurai class as well. This is evidenced by a follower of Tawayara Sotatsu and Hon'ami Koetsu named Ogata Korin, who was related by blood and marriage to several samurai families. Because of his familial connections and his family's textile shop, he was well placed to create artworks for different samurai families. Another Rinpa artist, Sakai Hoitsu was actually born into the samurai class and was trained in the culture and arts. “Works by Sakai Hoitsu reveal that the cultivation of samurai reached its height in the late Edo period. During the Edo period, the art of painting flourished beyond the class system” (Emura 11). This goes to show that the Rinpa school was unique in that all walks of life could appreciate it. 

Rimpa: An Artistic Style Transcending Time - NHK

As I mentioned above, this was a time of great change in Japan and what it meant to be human during that time changed as well. With the rise of the samurai and merchant classes more people were able to gain newfound interests and styles bloomed in the field of arts. The new ruling shogunate became “advocates of the arts and culture” (Emura 11). With all of these major events happening, Sōtatsu and his subsequent school of Rinpa were in the right place at the right time to become one of Japan’s most influential art movements. Though he eventually faded into obscurity, he, like his spring dragon, have now become illuminated again showcasing his highly transformative works and enduring legacy of his Rinpa school as evidenced by the videos above.

Works Cited

“1/2 Rimpa: An Artistic Style Transcending Time.” YouTube, NHK, 5 May 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL8aWZ_ribY.

"2/2 Rimpa: An Artistic Style Transcending Time." YouTube, NHK, 5 May 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sq5AXO8p2Y.

Emura, Tomoko. “Rinpa Artists and the Samurai Class.” Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts, vol. 88, no. 1/4, 2014, pp. 70–85. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43493629. Accessed 10 May 2021.

“Sōtatsu: Making Waves.” Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, 25 Mar. 2020, asia.si.edu/exhibition/sotatsu-making-waves/.

Sōtatsu, Tawayara. “Dragons and Clouds.” Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, 25 Mar. 2020, asia.si.edu/exhibition/dragons-and-clouds/.