eya　絵屋

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

A shop which produced and sold painting. Distinguished from fan shops ougiya 扇屋 and screen shops shoujiya 障子屋 by the production of a variety of painted goods, each eya was an organization managed and operated by prosperous townspeople. The eya, in response to the increased demand for artworks particularly by townspeople, appeared in the 16c in Sakai 堺, after which it spread to Osaka, Kyoto and Nara. The term eya first appeared in the Eiroku 永禄 era (1558-70) and is commonly encountered in literature of the Keichou 慶長 era (1596-1615). The artists of these shops came from a variety of backgrounds, including artisans, Buddhist painters, low-ranking students of the Tosa and Kanou schools, *Tosaha 土佐派 and *Kanouha 狩野派 as well as self-taught painters. Products were many and varied, ranging from gold and silver tone underpaintings *kingindei-e 金銀泥絵 for calligraphy on *shikishi 色紙 and long cardboard strips *tanzaku 短冊, fan paintings *senmenga 扇面画, screen paintings *byoubu-e 屏風絵, handscrolls *emaki 絵巻, and hanging scrolls *kakemono 掛物 to paintings on shells (see *kaiawase 貝合), patterns for woven and dyed cloth, lantern *tourou 灯籠 paintings, architectural decorations and colored dolls. Artwork was both made-to-order and ready-made to be sold at the shop. The atelier of Soutatsu 宗達 (? -1643?), called *Tawaraya 俵屋, was probably an eya. Another artist who was associated with an eya was Kaihou Yuusetsu 海北友雪 (1598-1677), also known as Douki 道暉, the son of Kaihou Yuushou 海北友松 (1533-1615; see *Kaihouha 海北派). After the death of his father, Yuusetsu studied the Kanou style and then worked in an eya, calling himself Eya Chuuzaemon 絵屋忠左衛門. He later became a noted professional painter primarily known for his landscapes.

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