Iwasa Matabee - Iwasa Matabee

A painter from the early Edo period. Son of Araki Murashige, lord of Itami Castle in Settsu Province. His name was Katsumochi, and he was also known as Matabei, Doun, and Hekishogu. When he was two years old, his father was defeated by Oda Nobunaga, and his mother was executed at Rokujo-gawara. Matabei was narrowly saved by his wet nurse, and grew up in Kyoto. He gave up on reviving his family name and changed it to Iwasa, which is said to be his mother's, and although it is unclear whether he was a master or a successor to his father, he made his living as a painter. At the beginning of the Genna era (1615-24), he moved to Fukui (Kitanosho) in Echizen, where he was treated well by the feudal lord Matsudaira Tadanao, and developed a unique style in his satirical portraits of Japanese and Chinese figures (such as the Old Kanaya Screen at the Tokyo National Museum and elsewhere, and the Statue of Hitomaro and Tsurayuki at the Atami MOA Museum of Art) and highly colorful old Joruri picture scrolls (such as the Yamanaka Tokiwa Monogatari Emaki and Joruri Emaki at the MOA Museum of Art). In 1637 (Kan'ei 14), he left Fukui, leaving his wife and children behind, and went to Edo, where he produced the Thirty-six Immortal Poets' Plaque (1640) for Kawagoe Toshogu Shrine, and died there. He created the typical image of a voluptuous beauty with the characteristic "long cheeks and full chin," and brought a new wind to the genre paintings of the time, leading to the reputation of "Ukiyo Matabei." He laid the foundation for the style of ukiyo-e that began with Hishikawa Moronobu, and also influenced Hanabusaiccho. His son Katsushige (?-1673) remained in Fukui after his father left for Edo, and was active as an official painter for the Matsudaira clan.

[Tadashi Kobayashi]

"Complete Collection of Japanese Art Paintings 13: Iwasa Matabei" by Tsuji Tsuneo (1980, Shueisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸初期の画家。摂津国伊丹(いたみ)城主荒木村重(むらしげ)の子。名は勝以(かつもち)、通称又兵衛、道蘊(どううん)、碧勝宮(へきしょうぐう)と号した。2歳のときに父は織田信長に敗れ、母は六条河原で処刑された。又兵衛はからくも乳母(うば)に救われ、京都で育った。家門の再興をあきらめて母方の姓といわれる岩佐に改姓、師承関係は明らかでないが、画家として身をたてることになる。元和(げんな)年間（1615～24）の初めごろ越前(えちぜん)福井（北之庄(きたのしょう)）に移って藩主松平忠直(ただなお)の厚遇を受け、皮肉な風刺を利かせた和漢の人物画（東京国立博物館ほかの『旧金谷屏風(かなやびょうぶ)』や熱海(あたみ)・MOA美術館の『人麿(ひとまろ)、貫之(つらゆき)像』など）や極彩色の古浄瑠璃(こじょうるり)絵巻（MOA美術館の『山中常盤(ときわ)物語絵巻』と『浄瑠璃絵巻』など）に個性的な作風を展開させた。1637年（寛永14）、妻子を残して福井をたち、江戸へ出て川越東照宮の『三十六歌仙額』（1640）などを制作、そのまま江戸で没した。「長頬豊頤(ちょうきょうほうい)」の特徴をもつ豊満な美人画像の典型を生み、時様の風俗画にも新風を開いて、世に「浮世又兵衛」とうわさされる。菱川師宣(ひしかわもろのぶ)に始まる浮世絵の様式的素地を準備し、英一蝶(はなぶさいっちょう)にも影響を与えた。子の勝重（？―1673）は、父が江戸へ出てのちも福井にとどまり、松平藩の御用絵師として活躍した。

［小林　忠］

『辻惟雄著『日本美術絵画全集13　岩佐又兵衛』（1980・集英社）』

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