Yamato-e

やまと絵 / Heian period onward / Style / East Asian Painting

A Japanese painting tradition concerned with stories, local scenery and the seasons, developed from the Heian period. Colour fields, cloud bands and roofless views organise narrative space. It extends across scrolls, screens and doors; its scope differs from Rinpa, ukiyo-e and modern Nihonga.

Yamato-e — Unidentified artist, The Tale of Genji Illustrated Scroll, Azumaya, 12th century — Tokugawa Art Museum — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Unidentified artist, The Tale of Genji Illustrated Scroll, Azumaya, 12th century — Tokugawa Art Museum — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Yamato-e — Unidentified artist, Tale of Genji, mid-17th century — Chester Beatty, J 1038.1 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Unidentified artist, Tale of Genji, mid-17th century — Chester Beatty, J 1038.1 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

Scenes tied to literature, places and seasons
Colour fields and clouds divide space
Roofs removed to reveal interiors from above
Figures and buildings carry narrative time

Best used for

Explaining narrative order through the formats of Japanese scrolls and screens
Comparing how interiors, clouds and figures organise scenes in a publication

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Dictionary entry

Type: Separate story text from scene labels and indicate the reading order.
Composition: Use clouds and buildings to divide scenes while keeping the viewpoint and figure positions coherent.
Material: Test opaque colour, outlines and the paper or silk ground separately; record gilding by individual work.
Caution: Do not use the term for all Japanese pictures. Roofless architecture and stylised faces are not present in every example; check subject, format and date together.
Further study: The Met — Yamato-e Painting / Genji scenes, cloud bands and fukinuki yatai / Chester Beatty — Tale of Genji paintings

Related entries

Rinpa (琳派)Same East Asian Painting lineage.Compare Yamato-e and Rinpa
Kanō School (狩野派)Same East Asian Painting lineage.Compare Yamato-e and Kanō School

Cite this entry

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Link: https://indexstyle.org/styles/yamato-e
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