[4] The Kanō school was well known at the time for their large bold paintings that decorated the castle walls of many a wealthy warlord patron.

[4] After a period of time in Kyoto, Tōhaku developed his own style of sumie which in many ways departed from the bold techniques indicative of the Kanō school, and called back to the minimalism of its predecessors.

Tōhaku was in fact so much enamored with the techniques of Sesshū that he attempted to claim rights as his fifth successor, though he lost in a court battle to Unkoku Togan.

However, its members conserved Tōhaku's quiet and reserved aesthetic, which many attribute to the influence of Sesshū as well as his contemporary and friend, Sen no Rikyū.

At the age of 67, Tōhaku was summoned to Edo and granted the priestly title of hōgen by the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu.