TOBAI (16TH CENTURY)

Although little is known about the artist, the nineteenth-century publication Koga biko (Notes and References on Early Japanese Paintings) records Tobai as a pupil of the celebrated monk-painter of the Muromachi period, Sesshu Toyo (1420-1506). Tobai favors a solitary life and keens on depicting hawks with power and tension constituted by a refined sensitivity to detail.
The practice of hawking was introduced to Japan in the fourth century, after which it became an important seasonal activity at court. Since the Muromachi period (1392-1573), hawking was dominated by the warrior elite, who saw the bird of prey as a symbol of their own bravery and might. Imagery of hawks in their wild habitat, in cages or tethered to stands is prevalent on hanging scrolls, screens and sliding doors commissioned by the samurai elite.