Sumi-e, known also as Japanese brush painting, is one of the art forms typical to Japan. It is a style of painting characterized by strokes painted with brush on rice paper using black ink. The brush painting can be found not only in Japan, but also in other countries of the Orient, like Korea and China - the latter being the place where it originated.

Sumi-e Painting, using brush, ink stick and rice paper has been practiced in China since  more than a thousand years ago. The technique was first used mainly for making notes, soon became a way of painting landscapes. Used predominantly by priests and upper class, the brush painting focused on calligraphy, landscape and scenes from Chinese mythology.