Keywords
Art History
General Terms
Kan'ei culture. The culture of the Kan'ei era (1624-44) and by extension that of the whole early Edo period *Edo jidai 江戸時代. The Kan'ei culture is characterized by two major artistic trends: aristocratic art, represented by the works of official schools of artists *Kano-ha 狩野派 and *Tosa-ha 土佐派, and supported by warriors and courtiers; and the art of townspeople, particularly rich merchants in Kyoto, which is represented by the decorative art of Sōtatsu 宗達 (ca. 1640) and other *Rinpa 琳派 artists as well as anonymous genre paintings. This style originated in Kyoto but later moved to Edo, where bourgeois culture flourished throughout the remainder of the Edo period.