Tenshō Shūbun

Tenshō Shūbun was a Zen monk and the founding master of Chinese-style suiboku ink painting in Muromachi Japan. Active in Kyoto from around 1403, he studied under the émigré Josetsu and modelled his landscapes on the Song masters Xia Gui and Ma Yuan.

His style bridged close imitation of Chinese models and the Japanese style that later artists developed. He directed the Ashikaga shoguns' court painting bureau and in 1423 joined the mission to Joseon Korea.

In the 1440s he taught the young Sesshū, his most celebrated pupil. His best-known painting was Reading in a Bamboo Grove, and he died around 1444–1450.