of Japanese painting was founded in the early Muromachi period (14th–15th centuries), and was devoted to yamato-e, paintings specializing in subject matter and techniques derived from ancient Japanese art, as opposed to schools influenced by Chinese art, notably the Kanō school (狩野派). Tosa school paintings are characterised by "areas of flat opaque colour enclosed by simple outlines, where drawing is precise and conventional", with many narrative subjects from Japanese literature and history. However, by the 17th century both Tosa and Kanō artists broadened their range, and the distinction between these and other schools became less clear. The origins of this school of painting can be traced to (fl. first half 15th century), The earliest documentary evidence for an artist using the name Tosa are two early 15th-century references to a man named Fujiwara Yukihiro (藤原 行広) (fl. 1406–1434) who was also known as Tosa Shōgen (土佐 将監), a title derived from his position as governor of Tosa Province. Yukihiro's activity as a painter is known primarily from an inscription on illustrated handscrolls of the Stories of the Origin of Yūzū Nembutsu (融通念仏縁起); 1414, Seiryōji (清涼寺), Kyoto. A bloodline descent from Yukimitsu to Mitsunobu (father-son?) is speculated, but the family document lacks records covering that period. Mitsunobu's daughter married Kanō Motonobu, head of the Kanō school, which increased the tendency of Kanō artists, already using two distinct styles, to work in a Tosa style when occasion demanded. The surviving paintings that can be attributed to Mitsunobu show less quality than his reputation in historical sources would suggest, but many fine works remain from Mitsunobu's hand. Although he painted both Buddhist paintings and portraits in addition to the standard repertoire of courtly themes, he is best known for his illustrated handscrolls, emaki (絵巻), such as The Legends of Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺縁起). The Tosa school's art tradition was passed from Mitsunobu to (1496 – ) under whom the fortunes of the school began to decline, then to , but Mitsumochi perished in battle in 1569 causing the family to lose their position as head of the painting bureau (edokoro-azukari). The headship of the school passed to (1539–1613), whose relationship with his predecessors is uncertain. Mitsuyoshi eventually left the capital and his post and settled in the city of Sakai (堺), a port city near Osaka, where he sold paintings to the local townspeople. Mitsumochi also moved away from the traditional Tosa themes to specialize