Iwasa Matabei

c. 1650

Iwasa Matabei (岩佐 又兵衛 1578 - 1650) was a Japanese artist who specialized in genre scenes of historical events and illustrations of classical Chinese and Japanese literature, as well as portraits. He was the son of Araki Murashige, a prominent daimyo of the Sengoku period. Matabei's work was noted for its distinctive figures, with large heads and delicately drawn features. Although he followed Tosa school traditions, his work became the major influence on the developing ukiyo-e school of painting, which he is reputed to have had a major role in founding.