Cypress Trees This painting by Kanō Eitoku is a common example of paintings on fusuma or what one would describe as "paper doors" and hence a good example to learn about the same. In the west, one would imagine the most appealing paintings to be that of religious or mythological importance. However, this isn't usually the case in Japanese art. Unlike the west, Japanese art is predominantly influenced by Chinese art forms where paintings are characterized by ideal ink landscapes, painted in brush, where varying values are accomplished by varying the density of ink. Ink wash painting is usually done on xuan paper (Chinese) or washi (Japanese paper) both of which are highly absorbent and unsized . Ink wash painting: Shōrin-zu byōbu 松林図 屏 ) by Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610). A Little Backstory Kano Masanobu the founder of the Kanō school of painting. Kano Masanobu specialized in Zen paintings as well as elaborate paintings of Buddhist deities an