Soen

Dates of birth and death unknown. A painter-monk in the late Muromachi period. His pen name was Josui. His given name was Soen. He was from Sagami. He entered Engakuji Temple in Kamakura and rose to the position of head priest, but then went to Suo to study painting under Sesshu. When he returned to Sagami in 1495 (Meiō 4), Sesshu asked for and gave him the famous Haboku Sansui-zu (National Treasure, Tokyo National Museum). As the inscriptions on the work were written by many of the Five Mountain monks of Kyoto, it is thought that he either stayed in Kyoto rather than returning to Sagami, or went back to Tokyo after his hometown. He was active in Kyoto in his later years, and studied poetry under the Five Mountain monk Ranpa Keishi. There is a theory that he switched from the Engakuji school to the Daitokuji school, but this is not yet clear. Although there are not many extant works, they include landscapes, flower and bird paintings, and portraits. Many of his works are calm and poetic, with subdued ink and coloring. This style does not show a strong influence from Sesshu, so it should be considered that he learned from and perfected the works of not only Sesshu but also Chinese artists such as Mokkei and Liang Kai.

[Sumio Kageyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。室町時代後期の画僧。字(あざな)は如水(じょすい)。宗淵は諱(いみな)である。相模の人。鎌倉の円覚寺に入り、蔵主にのぼったが、周防に下り雪舟について絵を学んだ。1495年（明応4）に相模に帰る際に、雪舟に求め与えられたのが有名な『破墨山水図』（国宝。東京国立博物館蔵）である。その賛が多くの京都の五山僧によって書かれていることから、相模に帰らずに京都に留まったとも、帰郷後再び上京したとも考えられる。晩年の活躍の場は京都で、五山僧蘭坡景茝(らんぱけいし)に詩を学んでもいる。円覚寺派から大徳寺派に変わったとの説もあるが、まだ明確ではない。現存する作品数は多くはないが、そのなかには山水画、花鳥画、人物画を含んでいる。墨色や彩色を抑えた穏やかで詩情を感じさせるものが多い。この作風は、雪舟の影響を強く感じさせるものではないので、雪舟だけではなく中国の牧谿(もっけい)や梁楷(りょうかい)などの作品から学んで完成させたものと考えるべきであろう。

［影山純夫］

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