As opposed to the aristocratic and gorgeous Kitayama culture, it is regarded as a culture based on the aesthetic feeling which leads to mysterious profundity, wabi (a clear and silent taste found in simplicity) and quiet simplicity.
貴族的・華麗な足利義満の北山文化に対して、幽玄、侘び・寂びに通じる美意識に支えられていると評される。