| Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki | |
| Other Language 1: | ja |
| Other Title 1: | 北野天神縁起絵巻 |
| Wikidata: | Q3197562 |
| Artist: | Unknown |
| Designation: | National Treasure |
| City: | Kyōto |
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.
See main article: Emakimono and Yamato-e. 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.[1]
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.[1]
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.
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.[2] 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.[3]
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.
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.[4]
Apart from an abandoned theory which attributed the version to Fujiwara no Nobuzane, no clues about the artist of the version have survived. However, the texts, present only in the first six scrolls, could be attributed in part to the sponsor,, according to .
donated the version to the shrine, probably to strengthen the political position of the Kujō family in the early 13th century (an unstable period).[4]
The style of painting in the is characterised by bright colors and freedom of lines; sometimes even the outlines are omitted, using the technique of boneless painting . The composition also plays on the differences of scale, as in the often depicted scene of the prayer of Michizane atop a mountain: he is shown is overly large to represent his strength of character, despite a humble posture that makes him an "allegorical figure of man". Realistic art characteristic of the Kamakura period is also displayed in the scenes of movement, such as the jostling or fleeing of a character.
Although Buddhism greatly inspired Japanese art at the time, the style of the is also linked to Shinto, resulting in greater freedom and humanity. This aspect is shown particularly in the landscapes, insisting on the details and the animist spirit, according to . The latter also notes in places the nervousness of the features, similar to the Song dynasty wash technique characteristic of Zen Buddhism.
However, Buddhist iconography remains heavily used, whether through the narration of the life of Michizane, modelled on the life of the historical Buddha, or the presence of Buddhist creatures, or the illustration of the six realms of existence. So, for example, the representation of the God of Thunder in the work is very similar to those of the statues of and at .
Besides its historical and religious content, the offers insight into everyday life, not of the time of Michizane, but of that of the artist 300 years later. The latter painted, for example, various rites and birth ceremonies[5] or the outfits of young monks in the temples.[6]
A scene from the first part of the work shows a boat propelled by six rowers, testimony of medieval Japanese ships of which no example remains.[7]
More generally, the architecture of the characters' habitats, their internal layout, the clothes, the festivities, the wooden bridges, the graves, the pets, the children who appear very frequently, and a multitude of other details are revealed by a study of the work by the Kanagawa University.
Over thirty later versions of the can be identified, created especially during the 14th and 15th centuries, both by amateurs and by famous painters such as, because of the growing popularity of the cult of Tenjin.[8]
Among the best known of the later versions of the work are the version (1278) by, whose light-coloured style would influence several later scrolls,[9] as well as the version (1311) by and, a very elegant and decorative work, with several differences from the original version.
From the point of view of the narrative, the various versions are generally divided into three branches, according to the introductory sentence in each version:[8]
The original version of the scroll also influenced other types of paintings, such as the famous Screens of the Thunder and Wind Gods by, as well as possibly other paintings depicting the ways of existence (and), in the form of a at the temple in Kyōto.