Sesshū, original surname Oda, also called Tōyō, Unkoku, or Bikeisai (born 1420, Akahama, Bitchū province, Japan—died Aug. 26, 1506, near Masuda, Iwami province), artist of the Muromachi period, one of the greatest masters of the Japanese art of sumi-e, or monochrome ink painting.

Sesshū joined a trading trip and landed in Southern China in 1468. His duties were to buy Chinese works of art for wealthy Japanese patrons, and to visit and study at Chinese Zen temples.

Sesshū adapted Chinese models to Japanese artistic ideals and aesthetic sensibilities. He painted landscapes, Zen Buddhist pictures, and screens decorated with birds, flowers, and animals.

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