Yamato-e is a style of Japanese painting inspired by Tang Dynasty paintings and developed in the late Heian period. It is considered the classical Japanese style. From the Muromachi period (15th century); the term Yamato-e has been used to distinguish work from contemporary Chinese style paintings (kara-e); which were inspired by Song and Yuan Dynasty Zen Buddhism paintings.

The Yamato-e often tell narrative themes with text along with them; show the beauty of nature; e.g. famous places (meisho-e); and the four seasons (shiki-e). The pictures are non-symbolic and have the objective of depicting the beauty in nature. The pictures are often on scrolls that can be hung on a wall (kakemono) or handscrolls (emakimono) that could be read from right to left with the accompanying story or on a folding screen (byoubu) or panel (shouji).

Although they received their name from the Yamato period (250-710 CE); Yamato-e pictures rather stand for a style and are not restricted to a particular period. Although the most famous artists painted in sumi-e style in the Muromachi period; this was not characteristic of early pictures.