Title: Ise Monogatari Gajō (Tales of Ise Picture Album), Circa 1650-1700. An Emakimono Handscroll of this Classical Tale in the Style of a Nara Emaki, with Ten Large and Sumptuously Illustrated Yamato-E Paintings
Author: Tosa School
Condition: Very Good
An Early Edo Period, mid to late 17th century manuscript, dubbed the Ise Monogatari Gajō, or Tales of Ise Picture Album. An emakimono of this classical tale, it has been beautifully produced in the style of a Nara Ehon or in this case, Emaki, with ten large and sumptuously illustrated paintings.
A Japanese uta monogatari, or collection of waka poems and associated narratives, the work was initially produced in the Heian period, with the authorship still being unknown, though some have speculated that the poet and courtier Ariwara no Narihira, also suggested to be the central character, was the original author. The poet and court noble Ki no Tsurayuki has also been suggested as the author.
Collected into 125 sections and 209 poems total, the overall narrative rarely attempts to link each section, though there is typically some sort of described scene for each poem. There is a rough chronology of the central character, beginning as a young man coming of age in the first section, and after numerous experiences and travels, concluding as a gravely ill man who will perish. There is no proper biography, nor even a structured plot, differing from most Western approaches in early literature, or even the Genji Monogatari, for that matter.
This album appears to be an incomplete work consisting of ten rather large individual Yamato-E paintings completely out of sequence, but they still feature key episodes. A few of them are as followed:
Painting 2: Episode Twenty-Three. Tsutsui Izutsu, The Well Curb
Painting 3: Episode Four. Nishi no Tsui, The Western Couple
Painting 9: Episode Five. Sekimori, The Barrier Guard
Painting 10: Episode Six. At the Edge of the River Akutagawa
Each painting has been produced on fine torinoko paper and beautifully made with various painting techniques and clouds to decorate the borders and scenes. The detailing to each figure and building are also finely painted, with attention to detail on the vestments and kimono patterns, the courtyards and mansion halls, and even shading techniques used on the gardens and greenery. The fukinuki yatai technique is used here as well, where we can see beyond the roof of the buildings where individuals may be residing.
From the Muromachi to Mid Edo Period, Nara Ehon and Emaki were produced in both booklet and scroll format, typically drawing from tales of the Otogi-zōshi, regular scenes of life, and other sources. There is a theory that they were created by Buddhist sculptors such as those at Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara, but the name was created after the Meiji period, and the relationship to Nara is unknown.
Although lacking the lavish levels of gold spray and illumination, there are close similarities to manuscript 1920,0514,0.16.3 at the British Museum, being a 5-handscroll set of the Ise Monogatari produced in the late 17th century, attributed to the Tosa School. Examples include similar features such as the somewhat thicker lines representing the contours of the ground and the rocks, as well as some of the detailing to the facial expressions and vestments worn by individuals. While the illumination is not present, the quality of the work is certainly superior to examples produced by lesser-known schools, and visually distinct from examples by the Kano School.
The paintings have been laid down and bound in a scroll for preservation, with a beautiful brocade decorated cover, and there are jikusaki (knobs) made of lacquered wood. The scroll has been elaborately placed in a two-tiered wooden box to accompany it, preserving the scroll.
One brocade bound emakimono (picture scroll) on fine paper, roughly 32 x 524 cm. The knobs are not included as part of the measurement.
This handscroll is in very good shape, with minimal rubbing and wear to the brocade fabric. There are a few creases throughout, but thankfully no significant cracks or any loss to the paintings. There is light, scattered foxing.