The Tosa School originated in Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), founded by Fujiwara Tsunetaka, who bore the title of Tosa Gon no Kami. This school was newly focused on subjects and methods that were thoroughly Japanese, in contrast to earlier schools, which were heavily influenced by Chinese Buddhist subjects and Chinese styles.
Tosa School paintings often depicted scenes relating to the courtly life of Kyoto, and many were inspired by the court romance 'Genji Monogatari' (The Tale of Genji), a famous 11th-century novel by Lady Murasaki telling an eventful story about the charming Prince Hikaru Genji.
Tosa School paintings are characterised by areas of flat opaque colour enclosed by simple outlines, where drawing is precise and conventional. Typically they employ bright pigments, along with shell-white gofun (composed of pulverized shells) and gold paint and gold leaf. Often, in order to depict interior scenes, the roofs would be left off buildings to expose the scene within, known as 'blown-off roof' or 'fukinuki yatai'. Faces are indicated by abbreviated strokes rather than being individualised.
The interest in painting everyday life of the Tosa school was influential on the ukiyo-e school of paintings and prints.
