# The most famous Japanese paintings

From national-treasure screens and scrolls to modern masterpieces: the works most often named as classics of Japanese art.

- 2 votes · 16 items
- Aug 27, 2025 · moviejunkie_wandering
- https://even.best/en/l/2653/the-most-famous-japanese-paintings

## Top 16

1. **Wind God and Thunder God — Tawaraya Sōtatsu** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — 17th century. A national treasure symbolising the Rinpa school. Kennin-ji.
2. **Irises — Ogata Kōrin** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 18th century. Blue irises on gold. Nezu Museum.
3. **Red and White Plum Blossoms — Ogata Kōrin** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A late masterpiece with a river in the middle. MOA Museum.
4. **Chōjū-giga** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 12th-13th century. Frogs and rabbits at play, "Japan's oldest manga". Kōzan-ji.
5. **The Tale of Genji Scrolls** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 12th century. The oldest surviving illustrated Genji scrolls.
6. **Beauty Looking Back — Hishikawa Moronobu** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 17th century. A hand-painted ukiyo-e of a woman turning round.
7. **Scenes In and Around Kyoto (Uesugi screens) — Kanō Eitoku** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 16th century. A bird's-eye view of Kyoto.
8. **Chinese Lions — Kanō Eitoku** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 16th century. Two giant lions.
9. **Autumn and Winter Landscapes — Sesshū** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 15th century. A masterpiece of ink painting.
10. **Colourful Realm of Living Beings — Itō Jakuchū** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 18th century. Thirty scrolls of birds and flowers.
11. **The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō — Utagawa Hiroshige** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1830s. Ukiyo-e of the post towns on the Tōkaidō.
12. **Lakeside — Kuroda Seiki** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1897. A woman in a yukata by Lake Ashi.
13. **Reiko Smiling — Kishida Ryūsei** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1921. His daughter Reiko's strange smile.
14. **Fallen Leaves — Hishida Shunsō** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1909. A quiet woodland on folding screens.
15. **Endless Flux — Yokoyama Taikan** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — 1923. A 40-metre scroll following the life of water.
16. **Pine Trees — Hasegawa Tōhaku** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — 16th century. Pines in the mist. Tokyo National Museum.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.