noun
Refers to the first person to establish a field, school, lineage, or movement. Often used in historical, academic, or artistic contexts.
彼は近代医学の始祖と見なされている。
He is regarded as the founder of modern medicine.
この流派の始祖は江戸時代の画家だ。
The originator of this school is a painter from the Edo period.
From Middle Chinese 始祖 (MC *ʃɨX t͡suoX), composed of 始 'beginning' and 祖 'ancestor'. The Japanese reading しそ is the on'yomi of these characters.