Hasegawa Sotaku

Biography:

Hasegawa Sotaku was a Japanese painter who was active around the middle of the 17th century. He was a member of the Hasegawa school, which was founded in the 16th century by Hasegawa Tōhaku and disappeared around the beginning of the 18th century. The Hasegawa school painted mostly fusuma (sliding doors), was based largely on the style of the Kanō school, and was centered in Kyoto. Hasegawa Sotaku was likely a student of Tōhaku or one of his followers. He painted in a monochrome ink style, often depicting Chinese-inspired landscapes and animals. He is particularly known for his depictions of monkeys, which are said to be influenced by Tōhaku's own monkey paintings.