Japan's rich artistic history leads to the creation of numerous visual arts particularly in the Momoyama period that ranged between 1568 and 1600 and the Muromachi duration that lasted between 1336 and 1573. One category of the screen from these durations that has managed to survive are the depictions of the sun and the moon together in the sky. The moon and sun screens form part of the traditional polychromatic paintings from Japan referred to as Yamato-e that thrived alongside monochromatic ink paintings that were inspired by Chinese art during the same duration. Two ideal examples of works from this period (Kongo-Ji screens)that are least comprehended yet considerably important are Osaka prefecture and Kawachi –Nagano from the 15th century. They are examples of the ‘sun and moon’ screens from the earliest extents in Japan.
The Kongoji screens are considerably instrumental in the analysis of the development of the ‘sun and moon’ category in Yamato-e-screens history (Bambling, 2001). The genre is characterized by an odd mix of Chinese and Japanese elements that are secular in imagery, sacred, characterized by unique crafting and painting styles. The Kongo-Ji screens are central to the ‘sun and moon screens thus allowing for the organization and understanding of other related genre around them.