Japanese painting

Japanese culture is officially recognized the most original culture in the world. Japanese painting is one of the eldest and most exquisite of the Japanese arts, representing an enormous multiplicity of genres and styles. The history of Japanese painting comes to be the contest between native Japanese pictorial art and foreign influence.
The earliest Japanese geometric designs date back to 300 BC. Soon after, the spread of Buddhism in 6th and 7th century, there started the flourishing of Japanese painting and sculpture. It is considered the first cultural period in Japanese history. It is a so-called Nara period.
The development of the esoteric Buddhism (the sects of Shingon and Tendai) contributed to the development of painting that presented the scenes from Buddha life and his surrounding. These are the so-called Heian and Kamakura periods. The two most famous paintings of the period were Panel from the Tale of Genji and Night Attack on Sanjo Palace.
The next period was Muromachi period. It was the development of great Zen monasteries in Kamakura and Kyoto had an enormous effect on the advancement of painting. By the middle of the 14th century, the leading Japanese painting direction was monochrome landscape.
The next Azuchi-Monoyama period was completely opposite to the previous Muromachi period. This period was characterized by a grandiose polychrome style, with extensive use of gold and silver.
The next two Edo and Meiji periods are the periods of the final Japanese painting formation, with development of all modern painting trends.
The last two periods of Tasho and Showa witnessed the blossom of modern Japanese painting making it commercially lucrative.