Senzui Byobu (Landscape with Figures Screen). Heian Period. Photo: Property of the Kyoto National Museum. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Mural painting, one of the oldest and most popular forms of painting in Japan, can be traced back to the earliest cave drawings of prehistoric man. In its present form, however, Japanese mural painting can be traced back to Horiyuji, in the eighth century. Evolving though the ages, the art form didn't reach its peak until the Edo period (1576-1867). This was a period of castles and warring lords battling for social status; each new castle required entire walls adorned with artistic creations.

One interesting development during this time period came out of necessity: gold foil paintings. The castles of this era were built primarily as defensive structures; most had high walls and tiny windows, blocking out almost all natural light. To brighten the castle interior, many murals of the period were painted on a background of gold leaf, or liquid gold applied with a brush. What appeared in the foreground was up to the artist; lions, dragons, tigers, seasons, boats, bridges, gardens and flowers were all subjects of murals in ancient castles.

Often, a lord would employ a group of artists to decorate his castle, usually a master artist and his "school." Most of the murals they created were left unsigned, and it is difficult to tell whether an individual piece was painted by the master or a skilled apprentice. The subject of a mural didn't have to be complicated; one of the most revered mural series included only life-size pine trees on gold foil.

Another art form done by muralists was screen painting. These paintings sometimes were black and white, but always highly evocative. One famous screen depicts only four groups of trees in heavy fog, with most of the screen being left blank; the image of space and the simplistic style combine to form a unified piece.