Muromachi Period (1333-1568)

In the succeeding Muromachi period, "Chinese paintings," or kanga, that had been brought from Song China during the Kamakura period attracted great attention, and a great change in painting techniques took place. In the earliest years of the Muromachi period, most Japanese paintings were almost exact copies of famous Chinese landscapes or of so-called daoshihua (pronounced doshakuga in Japanese), which were portraits, made during the Song and Yuan dynasties, of well-known figures associated with Chinese Taoism and Buddhism. But with the appearance of Kichizan Mincho, more original works began to appear in both the monochrome ink and colored painting styles. Many Zen monks began to distinguish themselves as painters, as Mincho had. Reflecting the popularity of Chinese verses composed at Zen monasteries, there appeared many so-called shigajiku scrolls, which combined ink paintings with poems by Zen monks. A well-known example is the monk Josetsu's hanging scroll titled Catching a Catfish with a Gourd.

Another Zen monk, Sesshu (1420-1506), is one of Japan's greatest artists of all times. A resident of Kyoto's Shokokuji during his early years, he was nearly 50 when he began to be known for his artistic works. Having traveled in China and been inspired by Chinese landscapes, on his return to Japan he developed his own innovative painting style, which was largely faithful to reality and was based on techniques used in Song and Yuan-dynasty paintings. Among his most famous works are his Long Landscape Scroll and a realistic depiction of Amanohashidate, a famous scenic place on the coast of the Sea of Japan north of Kyoto. In later life, Sesshu lived and worked mainly in what are now Yamaguchi and Oita prefectures in western Japan.

In Kyoto, such non-monk painters as Kano Masanobu (1434-1530) and his son Motonobu majestically decorated the sliding door panels (fusuma) and other architectural features of some of the city's great temples and laid the foundations for the popularity, in the succeeding age, of residential fusuma with colorful depictions of birds and flowers. Also meriting our attention are the monochrome ink fusuma paintings of Noami, Soami, and others, in which we see tendencies toward the Japanization of painting styles. The Zen monk and painter Sesson (1504? - 1589?), who greatly admired the works of Sesshu, lived during his later years, as he had in his childhood, in Japan's northeastern Tohoku region, whose natural landscapes helped inspire his own artistic style.

(1) Painting of Amanohashidate

This painting gives a bird's-eye view of the famous scenery of Amanohashidate in the province of Tango (present-day Kyoto Prefecture) on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The location is still known as one of Japan's "three most scenic spots." There is no seal or signature to identify the painter, but judging from the masterful brushstrokes and the appended Chinese characters, it is generally considered to be the work of Sesshu. Beyond the tops of hills seen in the foreground, one sees in the center of the painting the white sands and green pines of the spit of land known as Amanohashidate. Farther away, across an inlet, we see buildings of the nearby provincial capital and the mountain top setting of Nariaiji Temple in the upper right. The overall composition has a strong sense of balance. The painter has used monochrome ink techniques of alternating light and dark to create this sophisticated work. It is believed that Sesshu completed this work near the end of his life.

(2)Portrait of Minamoto no Yoritomo

This Kamakura period work, which has traditionally been thought to be a portrait of Japan's first shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo, is a masterpiece of Japanese portrait painting and is kept at Jingoji Temple together with similar portraits which have traditionally been thought to depict Taira no Shigemori and Fujiwara no Mitsuyoshi. The subject is in formal dress, with a sword attached to his belt and with a staff in his right hand. The composition has a certain geometric simplicity and balance. The distinctly individual facial features and the overall form of the body, depicted to suggest dignity and authority, successfully express the youthful vigor and ambition of the subject. The artist is thought to be Fujiwara Takanobu (1142-1205), often called the founder of the portrait painting genre.

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• Scroll Painting(Emaki)
• Screen and Partition Painting(Shoheiga)
• Buddhist Painting(Butsuga)
• Ink Painting(Suibokuga)
• Litearati Painting(Bunjiga)
• History of Painting