Yamato-e and EmakiDuring the Heian period (794-1185 CE), Japan experienced significant cultural growth. The Heian period was the longest period of peace in the country's history. Arts, literature and handwriting were cultivated into something completely Japanese. China was no longer seen as the exemplar of the nation, Japan during the Heian period looked inward to build the social, cultural and aesthetic taste of its country. With the distinction between what was considered Japanese and what was foreign, terms were created to identify what was considered Japanese yamato-e art (Japanese paintings) and what was Chinese kara-e art (Chinese paintings). Yamato-e differs from kara-e because it focuses on Japanese culture and ideas of beauty. Most yamato-e draws inspiration from the non-religious world of Japan, focusing on themes from poetry, prose, and literature. Yamato-e also focused on Japanese nature, the things the Japanese saw and experienced in their own country. The development of Yamato-e led to a rise in secular art which was primarily influenced by literature, for example many landscape paintings were influenced by Japanese waka poetry. Yamato-e painting not only changed the way landscape painting was illustrated, but also influenced another genre of art called emakimono or emaki. Emakimono was influenced by the East Asian writing format in which texts are written from right to left. The emaki format is horizontal and opens from left to right, which is a natural way to connect text and images. Emakimono are generally depicted in two styles: otoko-e (pictures of men) and onna-e (pictures of women). Otoko-e comes from monochrome paintings and paintings with a light use of color. These otoko-e paintings...... middle of paper...... the hair and faces of the women show no emotion. While a nyobo (handmaid) styles the mistress's hair, another lady-in-waiting reads a manuscript. The room is decadent with bright colors and beautiful displays of landscape paintings.BibliographyBowdoin. “Heiji Monogatari Emaki.” Last edited 2010. http://learn.bowdoin.edu/heijiscroll/.Ienaga, Saburo. Painting in the Yamato style. New York: Weatherhill, 1973. Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese art. New Jersey: Pearson, 2005. Murase, Miyeko. The Tale of Genji: legends and paintings. Great Britain: British Museum Press, 2001. Shirane, Haruo. Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology from the Beginnings to 1600. New York: Columbia, 2007. Soper, Alexander C. “The Rise of Yamato-E.” Art Bulletin 24 (1947): 351. Stanley-Baker, Joan. Japanese art. London: Thames and Hudson, 2000.