The is an or (painted narrative handscroll) from the beginning of the 13th century, in the Kamakura period of Japanese history (1185–1333). An illuminated manuscript, it narrates in eight calligraphed and painted scrolls the life of and the construction of the shrine in his honour after his death.
Background
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 Kamakura 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 samurai). 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.
Description
The narrates the life and death of (845–903), as well as his deification as and the foundation in his honour of the temple in Kyōto, an important Shinto shrine. In its original version, it consists of eight scrolls high and to long, although the end is unfinished. The first portion of the text in the original version includes a claim that it was painted in about 1219; that version is commonly referred to as the (or ) version, 1219 having been the first year of the era. The majority of studies of the work focus on the version, which is recognised as a National Treasure of Japan.
The narrative of the version is divided into four unequal parts. The first part relates the life of , a scholar and statesman who was influential in the court despite his humble origins, and who became a popular literary figure. Subsequently, the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by Fujiwara no Tokihira, he was wrongly convicted and died in exile. From the start, he was credited with a divine origin, for he "appeared" as a child in his father's garden; the divine child remains a popular myth of Buddhism, referring to the historical Buddha. Later, his intellectual as well as physical capacities were emphasised, for example through the composition of poems or participation in archery. He died in 903.
In the second part of the version, the vengeful ghost of returns to earth after his death to torment the actors of the conspiracy, in the form of a god of thunder. Several incidents occur in the years following his death, in particular fires in the capital (Kyōto) and the deaths of his opponents; these misdeeds are swiftly attributed to the spirit of Michizane. More precisely, a priest named describes having conversed with him while he crossed the six realms of existence (), notably the underworld, before returning from the afterlife. Contrary to the original story, 's journey is recounted in detail, in a fantastic, even Dantesque way.
The court finally decided to build the shrine in Kyōto in 947 in honour of in order to calm his mind, a passage recounted in the third part of the work; he is worshipped there under the name of , a protective god of arts and letters. Finally, the last part relates various miracles related to the temple.
The narrative and context of the time suggest that the original work was created for spiritual purposes. The Buddhist school is particularly highlighted in it, so much so that the paintings probably had a didactic value, serving as a support for the teaching or the recitation of Buddhist legends. Sessions of explanation of religious paintings () were common in the Kamakura period. In addition, any such didactic aspect would also explain the unusually large height of the scroll and the large number of versions. The esoteric beliefs of the time may also suggest that its function was to appease tormented spirits.
Dating, author and sponsor
The story in the is based on a text (an , or story of the founding of a temple) said to have been written shortly before 1194, about 30 years prior to the version's creation.