Nise-e

Nise-e (似絵), or "likeness pictures," were a style of portraiture popular in the court circles of Japan's Kamakura period.

[1] Prior to the 12th century Japanese art was purely religious in character, but nise-e introduced the realistic depiction of lay figures such as courtiers and samurai.

[3] The aim of a nise-e portrait was to capture a man's character with a few simple lines; and the work served as a veneration of his accomplishments.

[4] He innovated the use of jutting, angular outlines and dense swaths of color which came to characterize nise-e portraiture as a whole.

[5] Takanobu's influence is seen in the works of his son Fujiwara Nobuzane, and descendants Tametsugu, Korenobu, Tamenobu, and Gōshin, who continued to develop the nise-e school alongside others such as Shinkai and Tametaga.