Sō Shiseki

Sō Shiseki (宋 紫石, 1715 – 9 April 1786[1]) was a Japanese painter of the Nagasaki and Nanpin schools.

Originally from Edo, he spent some time in Nagasaki, where he studied under the Chinese painter Song Ziyan, who was known as Sō Shigan in Japanese.

Returning to Edo, Shiseki became a prominent representative and teacher of the Nagasaki school in that city, teaching Shiba Kōkan among others.

[2] He was close with such rangaku scholars as Hiraga Gennai and Sugita Genpaku, and expressed an interest in Western painting.

[3] His style is indeed more focused on details, also lending credence to the legacy left by botanic manuals and scientific treatises.