A shop which produced and sold painting. Distinguished from fan shops ōgiya 扇屋 and screen shops shōjiya 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 16th century 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 Keichō 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 Kano schools, *Tosa-ha 土佐派 and *Kano-ha 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 *byōbu-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 *tōrō 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 Sōtatsu 宗達 (? -1643?), called *Tawaraya 俵屋, was probably an eya. Another artist who was associated with an eya was Kaihō Yūsetsu 海北友雪 (1598-1677), also known as Dōki 道暉, the son of Kaihō Yūshō 海北友松 (1533-1615; see *Kaihō-ha 海北派). After the death of his father, Yūsetsu studied the Kano style and then worked in an eya, calling himself Eya Chūzaemon 絵屋忠左衛門. He later became a noted professional painter primarily known for his landscapes.