He was the son of Araki Murashige, a prominent daimyō of the Sengoku period who had been made to commit suicide, leaving Matabei to be raised with his mother's family name, Iwasa.
[3][4] Matabei's work was noted for its distinctive figures, with large heads and delicately drawn features, and he was effective both in colour and monochrome ink-wash painting, using an individual brush technique combining Tosa and Kanō elements.
The term Rakuchu Rakugai Zu (洛中洛外図) refers to byōbu (folding screens) depicting the scenery and customs of the urban and suburban areas of Kyoto.
[13] Hōkoku Sairei Zu Byōbu (豊国祭礼図屏風) is a work depicting the festival held at Toyokuni Shrine in 1604 to commemorate the seventh anniversary of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death.
[14] Matabei established a workshop and painted magnificent and long emakimono (picture scroll) based on the text of jōruri (traditional Japanese narrative music).