Background
Otsu Matabe was born in 1700. He was called Otsu Matabe because he lived in Otsu, in order to distinguish him from Matabe Iwasa. Was often called Matabe II but he had no blood relation with Matabe Iwasa, using a crude coloring method.
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Otsu Matabe
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Originator of Otsu-e (Otsu pictures). Around 1700, his occupation was painting Buddhist pictures but he also peddled his caricatures to travelers passing Otsu-Oiwake where he lived. Those caricatures were the first Otsu-e. They depicted the devil chanting a prayer, a clown spear-bearer and other curious subjects. Travelers believed that his pictures brought luck or drove away evil spirits.
