Yamato-e, (Japanese: “Japanese painting”), style of painting important in Japan during the 12th and early 13th centuries. It is a Late Heian style, secular and decorative with a tradition of strong colour. The Yamato-e style was partly native in inspiration and partly derived from one of the styles of decorative wall and scroll painting of T’ang dynasty China.
Yamato-e is a calculated decorative style and is essentially an art of illustration, at its best unequaled in its vigorous, flowing compositions. Placement is the overriding consideration. Scroll paintings of the 12th and 13th centuries show a close relation between painting and prose. The Genji scrolls, probably the oldest examples of the style, achieve an intimate quality through the use of an aerial perspective over roofless Japanese architecture. They are notable for the variety, harmony, and richness of their colour schemes, a characteristic typical of painting of the Late Heian period.