Kara-e

Kara-e, (Japanese: “Chinese-style painting”), in Japanese art, decorative painting deriving from art of the Chinese T’ang dynasty (ad, 618–907). It was chiefly composed of imaginative landscapes in the Chinese manner and illustrations of Chinese legends and tales.

The style was employed in the Nara (645–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods. In spite of the increasing popularity of Yamato-e, an evolving native style of painting, Kara-e was practiced throughout the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries, though its use was confined to official and religious materials.