Japanese icons are very different The new religion came to the Land of the Rising Sun in the 16th century with Jesuit missionaries. Japanese artists had a distinctive style, so they depicted biblical scenes using traditional techniques. They used flat perspective and a gold background, and the characters were dressed in local clothing. In 1600, the Tokugawa shogunate banned Christianity, and religious paintings became even more unrecognizable. They were disguised as Buddhist or Shintoist paintings, and hidden in interior and decorative items. Subscribe ✅