Sesshu Toyo was a Japanese painter who is also a monk that practices Zen Buddhism. He was initially inspired by Chinese landscape paintings, but later he held a distinct Japanese style that reflects the aesthetics of Zen Buddhism. His work consists of landscapes, portraits, and close-ups of nature.

Sesshu was born into the Oda family and trained in a temple in Kyoto as a Zen monk, he quickly showed his talent of painting and eventually became widely acknowledged throughout Japan as a reputable Zen scholar and a great painter. He was funded by a wealthy warrior clan that engaged in trade with China during the Ming dynasty to visit as an envoy. He traveled there for 3 years and studied the Chinese paintings, His work then took on a distinct style of his own that merged Japanese Zen paintings with the Chinese paintings.

When he returned to Japan, he went to Masuda to study Zen. He also kept on painting in Masuda and built spiritual gardens called Sesshu’s gardens. He died in 1506 at the Tokoji Temple at 87 years of age. His remains were relocated to Ikoji temple which was renamed to be named after him.