著者

宮 次男

雑誌

美術研究 = The bijutsu kenkiu : the journal of art studies

巻号頁・発行日

no.333, pp.20-26, 1985-09-29

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The ten-scroll-set Yugyō Shōnin Engi E based on the text edited by Priest Sōshun, illustrating the biographies of Priest Ippen (the founder of Ji sect) and his seccessor Priest Taa, enjoyed great popularity in the middle ages. Of the many versions that were made after the original, thirteen sets are known to remain today. Introduced in the present article is the Eifukuji scroll (Scroll 7 of the ten-scroll set) of the Yngyo Shōuin Engi E which, though formerly thought to be from the Edo Period, is now assumed to have been executed no later than the second half of the fourteenth century and thus can be added to the above-mentioned group of extant versions from the middle ages-a significant addition to the material of handscroll painting. The extant versions can be classified into the following three types according to the traits in the treatment of figures as well as the shape and placement of architecture in the illustrations :Type A : Konrenji version ; Shinkōji version ; Shōjō kōji version; Senshōji version; Konkōji version ; Tokyo National Museum version ;Yamato Bunkakan version. Type B: Kōmyōji version. Type C: Kondaiji version ; Jōshōji version ; Tōyama Art Museum version. The Kōmyōji version classified as Type B was based on the old set in the Fujisawa Dōjō (Buddhist seminary) of the Shōjōkōji, but this prototype was burned in 1911. However, a faithful copy of the lost model had been made by KANŌ Yasunobu and it is kept in the Tokyo National Museum. Those in Type C are characterized by their unconventional compositions which differ from the other types. The Eifukuji scroll, which is the seventh of the ten scrolls, is assumed to belong to Type A, judging from the rendering of figures and the basic composition. Versions missing the seventh scroll are those in Konkōji, Jōshōji, Kondaiji, Konrenji (not the one classified above), and Yamato Bunkakan. These, however, share no similarity in the style and brushwork with the Eifukuji scroll, which thus can not be identified as a part of any presently known set. The Eifukuji scroll lacks only the first three lines of the text for Scene One at the outset. Except for this, the scroll is complete, containing all of the six sections for the seventh scroll, both text and painting. The content is as follows. Scene One : In the sixth year of the Einin Era (1298) in Muraoka, Musashi Province, Priest Taa, taken ill, writes his teachings to his followers on his deathbed. Scene Two: In Hōjō-zu of Etchū Province, a warrior NANJŌ Kurō is taught about the meaning of death by Taa and becomes a believer of the sect. Scene Three : A sick person by the name of IKE in Echigo Province recovers from his illness after he in his dream is nursed by Taa's disciple. Scene Four : At the Gokurakuji in Hagisaki of Echigo Province, a scholar-monk Keihan Enkambō pays a visit to Taa staying in Kashiwazaki and becomes a believer. Scene Five : Taa and his followers visit the Zenkōji in Shinano Province where they continue to pray for seven days and nights, and practiced the religious dance on the stage in front of the Buddha Hall. Scene Six: At Nakagawa of Kai Province, Taa writes waka poetry for the people. Characteristics of the pictorial illustrations of the Eifukuji scroll are as follows. The painting is executed in soft colours and fluent lines. The facial expressions of the people are captured skillfully, and even the texture of their clothes are well suggested by flowing outlines. All these attest to the expertise of the artist. In comparison to the other versions, the number of background objects as well as of the figures is smaller in the Eifukuji scroll, which leads the author to surmise that some of them were abbreviated by the painter. The overall style of the painting pertains to the hand scroll painting tradition of the Kamakura Period, which leads to the assumption that the scroll was executed in the latter half of the fourteenth century.