Title: Sanjurokkasen Kameyama-in-hitsu Uta Fujiwara No Nobuzane Fude (The Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, with Poetry by Emperor Kameyama and Illustrations by Fujiwara Nobuzane), Circa 1400-1450. An Extraordinarily Early and Rare Partial Set of 27 Paintings and 17 Illuminated Sheets of Calligraphy
Author: Stated Attribution to Emperor Kameyama and Fujiwara Nobuzane; Likely Muromachi Period Copyist; Poetry Originally Compiled by Fujiwara no Kinto
Condition: Very Good
A rare Muromachi Period, early to mid 15th century partial set of paintings and calligraphy, entitled Sanjurokkasen Kameyama-in-hitsu Uta Fujiwara Nonobuzane fude, or The Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, with Poetry by Emperor Kameyama and Illustrations by Fujiwara Nobuzane. In 27 paintings and 17 illuminated sheets of manuscript calligraphy.
Selected by Fujiwara no Kintō of the Heian Period, they are a group of Japanese poets of the Asuka, Nara, and Heian Periods as exemplars of Japanese poetic ability.
Since that, various editions of the Sanjurokkasen have been produced, from the Thirty-Six Female Immortals of Poetry, the New Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, and even the Late Classical Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, each with a unique selection of poets.
Each painting has been beautifully rendered, with significant attention to detail to the vestments and many layers of clothing to each poet, especially the female poets and their swooping black hair curled about. One painting features an early form of portrait illumination, with the poet’s borders and weapons illuminated in gold ink. At least two others seemed to have been illuminated in this fashion, but the gold has largely faded. The calligraphical poetry has been finely produced with thick and swopping brush strokes and is decorated with gold spray and golden flakes.
As the title on the box would suggest, the stated authorship of the paintings and calligraphy is to Emperor Kameyama (1249-1305), and Fujiwara Nobuzane (1176–1265), of the Kamakura Periods. But this is a questionable attribution and can be marked on several points.
While the paintings are certainly of a Pre-Edo Period style and manufacture, and the painting style is very much in the style of Nobuzane, some of the facial detail falls short of his finer, gossamer detailing. And while the calligraphy is rather professionally done and shares some characteristics of Kameyama’s swooping style (compared to existing fragments by him in the Kongoin-giri album), it is rather difficult to confirm the attribution without any earlier notes or inscriptions, or even an appraisal report of any kind. I would place the production of these paintings and calligraphy to the Muromachi Period, rather than the Kamakura Period.
The 90th Emperor of Japan, Kameyama was the third son of Emperor Go-Saga, and his mother being Fujiwara no Kitsushi, his personal name being Tsunehito-shinnō. Being loved by his parents, and a shrewd ruler, he decided to issue decrees and orders directly, leading to conflict with his older brother, the prior Emperor Go-Fukakusa, leading to a conflict between the two lines of Daikakuji (Kameyama line) and Jimyoin (Gofukakusa). Ultimately, he abdicated in 1274, leaving the throne to his son Go-Uda, and beginning a cloistered government, enthusiastically conducting politics from the shadows, but also continuing his love of waka and Chinese Poetry.
Fujiwara Nobuzane was a poet of the early Kamakura period, and the leading portrait artist of the Period. With a litany of titles under his belt, he served as Nakatsukasa Gon-daifu, Bingo no Kami, and Sakyo Gon-daifu, and was ranked as Jushi Shigo no Ge. His father was Fujiwara Takanobu, a poet and portrait artist, and his mother was the daughter of Nakatsukasa Shoyu Fujiwara Nagashige. In 1248, he became a monk. He is known to have lived until 1266, and although his year of death is uncertain - there are theories that it was in 1265 or 1266 - he lived to be nearly 90 years old. From as young as his 20s his poetic talent was recognized, though his work fell into obscurity for two decades. Many of his poems from his later years express his feelings about old age. He also worked as a master portrait artist in the court salons of Emperor Go-Toba and Emperor Go-Horikawa and succeeded his father in perfecting the portrait painting technique. A copy of the "Chūden Goezu" (1218), which depicts the attendees of Emperor Juntoku's Chuden Goekai, remains, and parts of the "Portrait of Emperor Gotoba" (owned by Minase Jingu Shrine), which depicts the Emperor just before his exile to Oki, and "Zuishin Teiki Emaki" (owned by Okura Museum of Art), are attributed to Nobuzane.
As mentioned beforehand, there is a wooden box to accompany the poetry and paintings, preserving them.
27 paintings and 17 illuminated sheets of calligraphy in shikishi format, 19.6 x 18.2 cm for paintings and 19 x 17.6 cm for calligraphy
These paintings and manuscripts are in very good shape, with some old soiling and staining to both. There is some paint scraping from the compositions, but it largely seems to be the white pigments.