The term Yamato-e (literally 'pictures from Yamato') has come to mean 'paintings in the Japanese style.' Yamato was the ancient name of a region in central Japan around Nara and Kyoto. The description appeared during the Heian period, and was used in contrast to kara-e, 'continental pictures,' which exhibited a more immediately obvious foreign style.

Whereas the ink monochrome paintings of China used washes and sharp outlines and depicted its dramatic mountain geography, Yamato-e featured thick opaque colours and the low, rounded hills of Japanese topography. Yamato-e was the style suited to 'native' subject matter: nature in the seasons, beauty spots around Japan, activities throughout the year, the ceremonies and festivals of the court, and the literary and poetic classics (such as Tale of Genji, Tales of Ise). Biographical tales of Buddhist holy figures also became subjects by the end of the 12th century, and the development of new Buddhist sects created demand for works venerating Japanese individuals.

For these narrative Yamato-e the vertical hanging scroll format was sometimes used, but the horizontal handscroll became the standard medium as it enabled a continuous flow of narrative.