Sotatsu is a beautifully designed volume celebrating the influential early seventeenth-century Japanese painter Tawaraya Sotatsu. This book, the first Western survey of this important artist, accompanies the Smithsonian"s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery exhibition of the same name. Tawaraya Sotatsu was a commoner who introduced traditional Japanese themes and subjects, formerly the sole purview of the aristocracy, to broader audiences. He painted these nationalistic images using a bold, expressive new design style. This characteristic style was further developed and enhanced when he founded the historic Rinpa school with calligrapher Hon"ami Koetsu; Rinpa works are marked by dramatic, stylized renderings of traditional Japanese themes. Essays by leading scholars from the United States and Japan focus on Sotatsu"s well-known works; his collaboration with Koetsu; his varied roles as shopkeeper, compiler, and court painter; and his influence over other artists,...