This hanging scroll depicts the poet-priest Saigyo (1118–1190) and was once part of a pair of folding screens affixed with thirty-six shikishi, or square sheets of paper, each portraying an immortal poet [and thirty-six shikishi each inscribed with a classical Japanese poem].
Thirty-four of the thirty-six poets come from the Anthology Immortal Poets from Different Periods, while the thirty-six accompanying poems were taken from the New Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry and do not necessarily corres­pond to the poets with which they are paired. Based on the evidences above, the portrayal of this work is identified as the poet-priest Saigyo. All thirty-four illustrations have the signature “Dharma Bridge Sotatsu” and are impressed with an un­identified seal, suggesting they were originally mounted in folding book format.

Immortal Poets from Different Periods is a compilation of poems by one hundred poets selected by Emperor Gotoba (1180–1239) from various anthologies. There are two versions: an initial selection created before Emperor Gotoba’s exile to the island of Oki, and a revised version compiled after his return to the capital of Kyoto. Each poem likely once accompanied the painting of the poet, though none have survived. The Tokyo National Museum has in its collection a 13th-century, Kamakura-period reproduction, based on a revised, though incomplete version of only the first half of the anthology.

A comparison of the Saigyo painting here to similar drawings in the Tokyo National Museum’s Immortal Poets from Different Periods (TNM Work hereinafter) shows that both portrayals of the priest-poet are nearly identical with minor differences including a simplified hem on the robe, abbreviated facial lines, and a more youthful appearance in the current work. Differences in facial features can also be observed in portrayals of other poets. For example, the depiction of “Ariwara no Yukihira” in the TNM Work shows him with a slightly larger nose, whereas in Sotatsu’s drawing, “Yukihira” has a smaller, “hook" nose, characteristic in yamato-e, or native Japanese-style paintings, lending to a more classical youthful appearance. Meanwhile, “Priest Jien” in the TNM Work is illustrated with a slightly rounder, larger nose, while the Sotatsu painting, he has an exaggerated nose, giving him a somewhat humorous facial expression. Overall, the portrait-like quality seen in the depictions of the TNM Work is somewhat diminished in the painting of Saigyo here.

Regarding the differences between the Immortal Poets from Different Periods and Sotatsu’s paintings, the Museum Yamato Bunkakan’s publication Art News (issue 198, April 8, 2017), describes the illustration of “Priest Sosei” from the museum’s collection as having “rounded shoulders and knees, and a gentle facial expression that is loosely expressed with light but plump ink lines.” The article also mentions that “Sotatsu’s fondness for warm, voluminous expressions can be seen here.”

The “rounded” shape created by “pale, plump ink lines” applies to this work as well as other drawings of immortal poets. Furthermore, it applies to Sotatsu’s paintings in general. Not having belonged to any school of painting, Sotatsu was unrestrained in his artistic expression and freely adopted motifs from early paintings, illustrated handscrolls, Chinese prints, and other works, transforming them into his own style. These were not mere imitations but rather modifications, a re-envisioning of motifs unique to Sotatsu, which could be readily accepted.

Tawaraya Sotatsu (painter; act. early 17th c.)
Painter of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods, born in Noto or Kaga (today Ishikawa Prefecture). Sotatsu resided in Hoshu-ji Temple in Kyoto, where he mastered the painting techniques of Kano Eitoku and the ancient Tosa School method, becoming a precursor to the Rinpa school. He had close companionship with Karasumaru Mitsuhiro, Hon’ami Koetsu, and others.