Sōtatsu and Tessai: A Symphony of Waves

Gaze at ocean waves as they roll, ripple, and rise in Tomioka Tessai’s “Book of Waves,” created as an homage to Tawaraya Sōtatsu’s artistry. Frank Feltens is Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art at the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art).

Tomioka Tessai, “Hatō” (“Waves”), Freer Gallery of Art.
https://pulverer.si.edu/node/995/title/1

Tawaraya Sōtatsu, “Waves at Matsushima,” Freer Gallery of Art.
https://asia.si.edu/object/F1906.231-232/

Tawaraya Sōtatsu, “Bashō” (“The Plantain Tree”), Freer Gallery of Art.
https://pulverer.si.edu/node/509/title/1