It is named after the residence of the 8th shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshimasa [ja] (1436–1490), in the eastern hills (東山 Higashiyama) of the capital city Kyoto.
The items consisted mostly of karamono (Chinese items) and consisted of ceramics, lacquerware, paintings, calligraphy, and others.
After the fall of the shogunate, the treasures were dispersed and some survived and are listed as either National Treasures or objects of Important Cultural Property.
The collecting of important items was continued by the warlords Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who laid great emphasis on Japanese tea utensils as chadō was developed.
These were known as special tea utensils (名物 meibutsu, 大名物 Ōmeibutsu [ja]).