Suibokuga is a painting drawn only with ink. The shade of a single ink color, and the strength of the picture lines are used to depict the subject of the painting. It originates in the shan shui painting of the Tang Dynasty of China, and it was introduced to Japan during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). Shan shui painting has deep connections with Zen Buddhism and thus, firstly in Japan, many paintings were often religious. Suibokuga was developed by  priest Sesshu in the Muromachi Period (1333-1573). Sesshu took up portraits, flowers and birds, and scenery as the themes of his paintings, and thus the view of world by suibokuga expanded greatly.