TOSA SCHOOL

hereditary school of Japanese artists, consisting of members of the Tosa clan and other artists adopted into the clan, forming an official school contemporary with that of the Kano family. Both lineages claim descent from great 15th-century masters of Japanese art. The two schools lasted until the end of the Edo period (16031867). The Tosa school devoted its talents to subjects and techniques traditional to the indigenous art of Japan and, in theory, provided the official painters attached to the court. The illustration of Japanese literary classics, especially the Genji monogatari (Tale of Genji), were subjects especially favoured by Tosa artists. Delicate ink drawing combined with a decorative use of colour create a precious effect in the small-scale treatment of the Tosa style.