Fig. 215. Interior of Taimen-jo
Nagaya Castle, Nagaya
The Taimen-jo. This building is divided into two rooms, the walls and sliding screens of which are painted with the customs and manners of Kyoto and Osaka in colors on a ground on which gold is dusted. (Fig. 215) They are not, however, so splendid in colors as those in the other rooms just described. But they are important examples of the genre painting of the early Yedo Period, which were produced by the Kanō School as the interior decoration of residential buildings.
CHAPTER 5
Kyoto And Vicinity
1. THE KYOTO ONSHI MUSEUM OF ART
The museum was originally established by the Imperial Household and opened to the public in 1897. But in 1924 it was given to the city.
The exhibits consist largely of things borrowed from the Buddhist temples, many of which are enrolled as national treasures. They are divided into three departments—history fine art, and industrial arts.
The most important exhibits of the museum are painting and sculpture.
Painting
Sutra on the Cause and Effect of the Past and Present or the Kwako-genzai-ingwa-kyō. Jōbon-rendai-ji monastery. Mounted as makimono. Colored on paper. The text of the sutra is written on the lower half, and on the upper half are delineated pictures illustrative of the meaning of the sutra. (Fig. 216) The picture and the text were produced in the Tempyō Era (729-748). Although the picture was painted in the eight century, it is in the oldest style of painting, that is, the Six Dynasties style, which was handed down from the Suiko Period. The figures, dresses, and other objects depicted on the scroll illustrate some of the customs of Northern China that prevailed in the sixth century.
Fig. 216. Sutra on the Cause and Effect of the Past and Present (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Portrait of Seven Patriarchs of the Shingon Sect. Tō-ji monastery. Mounted as seven kakemono. Colored on silk. T'ang Dynasty. Each picture measures about 2.5 meters by 2 meters. They are slightly colored. On the top and bottom of each image are Buddhist mottoes in Sanscrit or in Chinese. Two of the pictures are attributed to the brush of Kōbō Daishi, while the other five were brought from China during the T'ang Dynasty. These five patriarchs are said to have been painted by the T'ang artist, Ri Shin (Li Chén), who was one of the noted artists of the time. The pictures are by no means elaborate. They are rather sketches, but the strokes display great power and full maturity, the images presenting a solemn and dignified appearance well befitting their saintly character. Our reproduction (Fig. 49) shows the portrait of Fukū by the Chinese artist. He is represented as seated with his hands clasped, wearing a black scarf. His quiet air of introspection is highly impressive. Such a style of T'ang portrait has served as model to many a later Japanese artist.
Shaka-muni Buddha Rising from the Golden Coffin or Shaka-kinkwan-shutsugen Zu. Chōhō-ji monastery. The picture is painted in colors on silk about 1.7 meters in height and 2.42 meters in breadth.(Fig. 217, Color plt. 1) Shaka-muni Buddha is rising from a golden coffin and turning towards his mother, the princess Maya, who has come down from heaven. Other saintly figures surround the central image, together with angels and demons, and all are struck with joy and wonder, with reverence and worship. The impression is cheerful and opposed to death, quite unlike the picture of Nirvana. The touch of the brush is extremely delicate and sensitive. The elaborate cut-gold design applied to the dresses of all the figures is characteristic of the Fujiwara Period and the technical process is excellent. The lines drawn over the gold and other colored ground are also full of life. The gold and rich colors applied to the main figure wonderfully reveal the boundless light of eternity in inexpressible beauty and religious dignity. This is indeed a unique masterpiece of religious painting in the Fujiwara Period. The first mention we have of the resurrection of Shaka-muni Buddha is in the Mahâmâyâ sutra which was translated into Chinese in the sixth century. There it says: "When the Buddha died, his mother Maya, who was already in Heaven called Tosotsuten and bitterly deploring his death, came down upon the earth and wailed sorely before the coffin of her sacred son. At this moment the coffin opened and Buddha appeared alive, with one thousand halos gleaming from his head. And he calmly informed his mother that all laws are imperishable, and that he had left behind him all the law necessary for posterity. Then he asked her not to sorrow for him, even though he entered within the veil of Nirvana." This mention in the sutra is doubtless the origin of the resurrection scene in this beautiful painting.
Fig 217. Shaka-muni Buddha Rising from the Golden Coffin (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Fig. 218. Buddhist Sutra Dedicated by the Heike Family (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Buddhist sutras dedicated by the Heike family. Itsukushima Shrine. Mounted as thirty-three makimono. Colored on paper. The sutras are composed of the Hokkekyō or the Lotus of the True Law and other minor sutras, which were copied by Tairano Kiyomori and thirty-two members of his family with the utmost devotion to the god of the Itsukushima Shrine. They were dedicated in 1166 with a separate roll of prayer written by Kiyomori. On opening each of the scrolls one is at once struck with the marvellous perfection of its decorative art, illumined even more richly than any mediaeval breviary. The colors are full of variety, and there are gold and silver filings on a beautiful ground. Between the verses there are painted various pictures, some illustrating the meaning of the text, others showing the customs and manners of court nobles without any relation to the text. The frontispiece of each scroll is colored most beautifully and wisely lavished with silver and gold all over the ground. (Fig. 218) Some are fine gold or silver dust and gold or silver threads, but here and there the color is emphasized by large cut leaves of gold and silver; yet there is nothing vulgar or unrefined. The coloring of the entire length of the text is also beautifully arranged in innumerable shades, notes, and hues, yet each has a distinctive office and attractiveness. The style of the picture belongs to the Yamato-e School. The delineation of faces is of the peculiar style called "hikime-kagihana" or drawn-eyes and key-nose. The eyes are drawn with one line and the nose with two broken lines. These lines are very delicate and expressive of the quiet feeling and unaffected elegance of court nobles. All these beautiful scrolls are kept in a case made of copper and beautifully decorated with an appliqué composed of a gorintō stupa, dragons, and clouds, all in silver or gold gilt. This is also a unique example of the industrial arts of the Fujiwara Period.
Portrait of Minamoto Yoritomo. Jingo-ji monastery. Mounted as kakemono. Colored on silk. Early Kamakura Period. The picture is attributed to Takanōbu, the famous portrait painter almost contemporary with Yoritomo whom he painted; and it is an important example illustrative of the new movement in the history of portraiture in Japan. (See Fig. 72) The face is delineated with fine lines and yet the manly and forcible character of Yoritomo, as the leader of warriors, shines out of every line, in remarkable contrast to those effeminate and sentimental court nobles of the Fujiwara Period. His dress is entirely that of court nobles, colored black, but stiffened with the strong starch which was a particular style of Kamakura costumes. This type of dress accords with the chivalrous expression of his face and fits well with the spirit of the age.
Fig. 219. Pictorial Biography of Ippen Shōnin(N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Pictorial Biography of Ippen Shōnin or Ippen Shōnin Eden, by En-i. (Fig. 219) Kwangikō-ji monastery. Mounted as twelve makimono. Colored on silk. Late Kamakura Period. Ippen, 1239-89, was the famous monk who was the founder of a sect called "Time Doctrine" or Jishū. He spent all his religious life in itineration, propagating the practice of repeating Buddha's name to gain welfare in future life. The priest naturally traveled far and wide all over the country. The picture scrolls illustrate his missionary journey. The painter depicts faithfully the actual incidents, customs, and manners, with all the surroundings. Each shifting scene has its own attractiveness and a new
interest. The touch of brush is fluent and the color harmony is excellent. The style of painting belongs mainly to the Yamato-e School. However, the Chinese style, newly introduced from China, is used skilfully in the landscapes. The pictures of the seventh scroll are copied, the original of which is separately owned by Mr. Tomitarō Hara of Yokohama. The end of the last scroll is inscribed as follows: "The texts are by Shōkai and the pictures by Hōgen En-i, in the first year of Shōan (1299)." According to this inscription, we understand that the pictures were painted by En-i, and the text by Shōkai, a disciple of Ippen, in 1299, that is, only ten years after the death of Ippen. Although these are the only data from which we know about the painter, his name is immortalized in the history of Japanese painting by this master work.
Pictorial Biography of Hōnen Shōnin or Hōnen Shōnin Eden. (Fig. 220) Chion-in monastery. Mounted as forty-eight makimono.Colored on paper. Late Kamakura Period. Hōnen Shōnin, 1133-1212, was the eminent priest who propagated Amida-Buddhism and founded the Jōdo sect. The paintings depict all the important events in the life of the prelate, beginning with his birth and ending with his death, together with customs and manners in towns and countries where he visited, and also with natural surroundings. In landscape we find the Yamato-e style skilfully mingled with that of the Chinese style of the Sung Dynasty. The pictures are attributed to Tosa Yoshimitsu, but it was natural that many painters took part in their completion.
Fig. 220. Pictorial Biography of Hōnen Shōnin (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
The Amida Triad rising over the Mountain and the picture of Paradise and Hell, or Yamagoshi-no Mida and Jigoku Goku-raku Zu. Konkai-kōmyō-ji monastery. Colored on silk. The Kamakura Period. It is composed of three screens: the central one, three panelled; and the two side screens, two panelled, each measuring 105 centimeters in height. On the middle screen is represented the Amida Triad rising over the mountains. (Fig. 221) On the two side screens are painted separately the terrestrial world, hell, and the Paradise of Amida, making a complete picture when both are joined. (Fig. 222) The picture of the Amida Triad is traditionally said to have been the vision which appeared to the priest Eshin Sōzu, 924-1017, who transferred it to silk. The design and coloring are generally Fujiwara, but when we examine them carefully, the production certainly belongs to the early Kamakura Period and was therefore not painted by Eshin Sōzu. The picture symbolizes the height of religious consciousness reached by Japanese followers of the Pure Land doctrine or the Jōdo-kyō. The three figures are profusely decorated with gold; and even the smaller patterns on their dresses are rendered in cut-gold much more richly than in the Fujiwara Period. It is indeed the climax of beatitude, manifested by gold in the iconographic representation of the Amida Triad, and developed in the time when the Pure Land faith was much democratized. To the fingers gathered in front of the chest of Amida are attached real silk threads of five different colors, which can be recognized in our reproduction. They were originally long enough to be caught by the faithful while on his death-bed, so that he might be firmly conscious of his deliverance by Amida at the very moment of his passing. The threads were used for such an actual purpose. According to the contemporary records, such was a custom practised in the Kamabra Period, and such figures of Amida were carried round to the death-beds of the faithful to assure them of their reception to the Land of Highest Happiness of Amida.
Fig. 221. Amida Triad rising over Mountain (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Fig. 222. Paradise, Hell, and Terrestrial World (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Pictures of Five Hundred Arhats, or Gohyaku Rakan Zu, by Minchō. Tōfuku-ji monastery. Mounted as forty-five kakemono. Colored on silk. Early Muromachi Period. Ten Arhats being painted on each kakemono, the complete set consisted originally of fifty pieces of kakemono. It is said that Rakan, or Arhats, have super-natural powers, conquering all passions, and that they receive successive promotions to Buddhaship. Therefore they deserve worship. Mincho spent several years of devoted zeal in painting them all. All the figures are painted on a natural background with delicate lines and beautiful coloring. The posture of each expresses its individual personality. The style in these pictures is no doubt based on that of Sung painting of China. But they are representative Chinese paintings developed in Japan in the Muromachi Period. (Fig. 223)
Landscape Representing Summer and Winter, by Sesshu. (Fig. 97) Manju-in temple. Mounted as two kakemono. Black and white on paper. Muromachi Period. Both pictures represent rocky mountains with a solitary temple in the valley. In one of the pictures he successfully reproduced the refreshing coolness of summer, and in the other, the shivering loneliness of winter. Sesshu was no doubt an ardent student of nature, but the pictures must have been the creations of his own imagination to reveal such infinite life and loftiness of nature. And his imagination is carried out with a bold and direct touch of brush. We find in these pictures the purity, simplicity, and directness which are characteristic of Sesshū's work in ink sketches. They deserve a high admiration.
The Picture of Wind and Thunder Deities, or Fūjin Raijin Zu, by Sōtatsu. A national treasure. Kennin-ji. Mounted as two byobu. Early Yedo Period. The thunder-deity has two horns; the body is red or white and is represented as nude. On his back he carries a large ring attached to a number of drums, and a plectrum in one hand, riding on black clouds. The wind deity is blue and one horned. He carries a wind-bag, and is riding on white clouds. They belonged originally to the Buddhist pantheon, but after being separated from Buddhism they became a favorite subject in painting. Now, Sōtatsu painted the two deities on gold leaf with soft yet bold black ink combining black and gold and other colors in a most admirable way.
Fig. 223. Rakan, byMinchō (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Fig. 224. Head of Buddha (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Sculpture
Head of Buddha. (Fig. 224) Tōshōdai-ji monastery. Thick layer of dried lacquer over wood and overlaid with gold leaf. Tempyō Era.The piece is much broken; but for this reason the technical processes by which lacquer is applied may be conveniently studied.
Twenty-Eight Attendants of Kwannon (Nijū Hachibushū). Myō-hō-in monastery. Colored on wood. Kamakura Period. These figures were originally made as the attendants of Senju Kwannon of the Sanjusangen-dō and all remain in good condition. Eight of them are placed on view in the museum. Each of them shows a different posture and expression in accordance with his capacity as an attendant to Kwanon. They are all full of realistic movement. Their dresses are decorated with fine cut-gold and colored designs. They are no doubt master works produced in the early Kamakura Period. In Figs. 225 and 226 we have reproduced the figure of a hermit attendant called Hasu, which is a master work. Its thin body and remarkable expression will win high admiration.
Fig. 225. Hermit Attendant called Hasu (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Fig. 226. Detail of the Fig. 225.
Shinto Deity. (Fig. 227) Matsu-nō-ō-jinja. The Heian Period. The figure measures about 90 centimeters in height and is carved out of one block of wood except for part of the knee, where other wood has been added to make its form. It is worth noticing that the costume of the figure represents that of the day and that although the figure looks like the head of a family it still has the dignity of deity. Such is the ideal of Shintoism from the remote past, and in this lies the greatness of this figure.
Fig. 227. Shinto Deity (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Fig. 228. Kōdai-ji Gold Lacquer (N.T.)
Kyoto Onshi Museum of Art
Industrial Arts
Furniture and utensils. (Fig. 228) Gold lacquer. Kōdai-ji monastery. Mo-moyama Period. They constitute a large group of gold lacquer ware produced in the tenth year of Keichō (1605) when the wife of Hideyoshi erected the Kōdai-ji temple. There are two chairs, a chest of drawers for song-books, a hand-box, sword-rack, three small f
our-legged dinner tables (or kakeban), a rice-holder, fourteen bowls, a sake-holder, a hot-water-tub, temmoku-dai or stands for a teacup, a towel-rack, and a pillow. They are all representative gold lacquer wares of the Momoyama Period, and are popularly known by the name Kōdai-ji maki-e. However, the finest of them is the dinner tray. (See page 210 and Figs. 128, 129)
Fig. 229. Tsuishu Tray (N.T.)
Daisen-in, Kyoto
Tray by Chosei. Laminated lacquer. (Fig. 229) Daisen-in temple. This kind of lacquer is called tsuishu or heaped vermilion. The art is peculiar to China and Japan. Our tray was made by a Chinese artist called Chosei (Chang Ch'êng), who was a master hand at the art living in the T'ang Dynasty. The design is composed of flowers and peacocks carved in thick laminated lacquer, and signed with his name on the back. The finish is quiet and soft in feeling, such as can not be obtained in wood-carving overlaid with lacquer.
Flower Vase. (Fig. 230) Celadon. Bi-shamondō temple. Chinese Sung Dynasty. This celadon vase is one of the most famous from olden times and is named "Bansei" or Ten thousand Voices. Its glossy sky blue is the representative color of the best kind of Kinuta-de celadon. There are three kinds of Seiji or celadon: Kinuta-de, Tenryū-je-de, and Shichi-kan-de. Among them Kinuta-de has the finest color.
Incense Burner. (Fig. 231) Faience. Hōkongō-in temple. Seventeenth century. The body is modeled into the shape of a lotus flower, and each petal has a blue brim and gold lines on a red ground. The cover, formed into a lotus leaf, is colored blue and has five perforated Sanscrit characters through which the incense smoke goes out. The pedestal is also beautifully decorated with gold, red, and blue colors. In the shape and colors we see the beauty particular to faience which fully expresses Japanese taste. The artist of this excellent work is said to be Ninsei.
A History of Japanese Art Page 28
