about kyo-ha

Kyo-ha painting, which flourished in Kyoto in the 18th and 19th centuries, was developed in relation to the highly refined aesthetic of the way of tea that synthesized related art forms under the unifying spiritual sensibility of Zen Buddhism. Characterized by direct observation of nature and a highly refined brush technique, Kyo-ha painting is particularly evocative and intuitive in its use of images to explore timeless existential issues.

In general terms, Kyo-ha painting is significant for modifying and combining two traditions of Chinese painting as practiced in Japan at the end of the 16th century. Rather than following the convention of copying and imitating Chinese-style landscape paintings, Kyo-ha artists valued realism and the direct observation of nature. They departed from the Chinese sumi brush painting and took it to new levels of economy and allusion in the spirit of Haiku.

Kyo-ha painting consists of several schools of artists active in Kyoto and Osaka. The most prominent of these were the Shijo School, the Kishi School and the Mori School.