The is an or (painted narrative handscroll) from the second half of the 13th century, in the period of Japanese history (1185–1333). An illuminated manuscript, it narrates the events of the rebellion (1159–1160) between the and clans, one of several precursors to the broader War (1180–1185) between the same belligerents.
Both the author and the sponsor of the work remain unknown, and its production probably spanned several decades. Nowadays, only three original scrolls and a few fragments of a fourth remain; they are held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Museum, Tokyo, and the Tokyo National Museum. The civil wars for the domination of Japan at the end of the period, which ended with the victory of the Minamoto clan in the War, had a strong effect on the course of history in Japan. They have also been illustrated in many artworks, including the , which has inspired many artists up until modern times.
The paintings in the work, in the style, are distinguished by both the dynamism of lines and movement and the vivid colours, as well as a realistic impetus characteristic of the arts of the Kamakura period. Cruelty, massacres and barbarities are also reproduced without any attenuation. The result is a "new style particularly suited to the vitality and confidence of the Kamakura period". In several scrolls, long painted sequences introduced by short calligraphy passages are carefully composed in such a way as to create the tragic and the epic, such as the passage of the fire at Palace, deeply studied by art historians.
Background
arts
Originating in Japan in the sixth or seventh century through trade with the Chinese Empire, art spread widely among the aristocracy in the Heian period. An consists of one or more long rolls of paper narrating a story through texts and paintings. The reader discovers the story by progressively unrolling the scroll with one hand while rewinding it with the other hand, from right to left (according to the then horizontal writing direction of Japanese script), so that only a portion of text or image of about is visible.
The narrative of an assumes a series of scenes, the rhythm, composition and transitions of which are entirely the artist's sensitivity and technique. The themes of the stories were very varied: illustrations of novels, historical chronicles, religious texts, biographies of famous people, humorous or fantastic anecdotes, etc.
The period, the advent of which followed a period of political turmoil and civil wars, was marked by the coming to power of the warrior class (the ). Artistic production was very strong, and more varied themes and techniques than before were explored, signalling the "golden age" of (the 12th and 13th centuries). Under the impetus of the new warrior class in power, evolved towards a more realistic and composite pictorial style. Paintings of military and historical chronicles were particularly appreciated by the new ruling warrior class; ancient documents identify many on these subjects, including the (no longer extant), which recounted the rebellion, the on the Mongol invasions, and of course the the subject of the present article. According to , the epic battles transcribed in those must have strongly marked the minds of the Japanese, because the artists had made the battle theme enduring.
The rebellion
The work describes the rebellion (1159–1160), one of the episodes of the historical transition period that saw Japan enter the period and the Middle Ages: the Imperial Court lost all political power in favour of the feudal lords led by the . During this transition, the authority of the emperors and the regents weakened due to corruption, the growing independence of local chiefs (s), starvation and even superstition, so that the two main clans of the time vied for control of the state: the clan and the clan.
Relations between the two clans deteriorated and political plots were asserted, so much so that in early 1160, the clan attempted a coup by besieging Palace in Kyoto to kidnap Retired Emperor and his son Emperor . It was the start of the rebellion. The , led by , hastily gathered its strength to retaliate; it took the advantage and decimated the rival clan, except for the young children. Ironically, among these children spared was who, a generation later in the War (1180–1185), would avenge his father and take control of all of Japan, establishing the political domination of the warriors in the new period, from which the dates.