Yamato-e

style Heian period onward (from c. 900) Japan

Yamato-e (大和絵) is a style of Japanese painting inspired by Tang dynasty models and fully developed by the late Heian period. From the Muromachi period the term has been used to distinguish it from kara-e, Chinese-style painting, and it is considered the classical Japanese style. Yamato-e very often depicts narrative stories, with or without accompanying text, but also celebrates nature: famous places (meisho-e) and the four seasons (shiki-e). The oldest surviving works are 12th-century illustrated handscrolls of The Tale of Genji. The Tosa school revived the style in the 15th century, and its simplified landscape conventions and oblique, partial views later fed into Rinpa, ukiyo-e, and nihonga. As a style rather than a period, yamato-e pictures are not restricted to any one era.

Ilustration of the The Tale of Genji , ch.5–Wakamurasaki, traditionally credited to Tosa Mitsuoki (1617–1691), part of the Burke Albums, pro
Ilustration of the The Tale of Genji , ch.5–Wakamurasaki, traditionally credited to Tosa Mitsuoki (1617–1691), part of the Burke Albums, proPublic domain (credit: Tosa Mitsuoki) · source

Defining characteristics

  • Oblique view from above, showing interiors as if through a cutaway roof (fukinuki yatai)
  • Clouds or mist bands masking parts of the scene and leaving some elements undescribed
  • Many small, carefully dressed figures with fine detail in buildings and objects
  • Highly stylized landscapes, simplified into decorative passages
  • Continuous narrative, with calligraphic text woven between pictures
  • Seasonal and famous-place subjects (shiki-e, meisho-e)

Key figures

  • Tosa Mitsuoki (1617-1691) — Restorer of the Tosa school who re-established Yamato-e at the Tokugawa court
  • Sumiyoshi Jokei (1599-1670) — Leader of the Sumiyoshi school's Yamato-e revival in the 17th century

Example works

Sources

← Back to the catalog