著者

秋山 光和

雑誌

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

巻号頁・発行日

no.335, pp.1-14, 1986-03-31

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This painting on silk (plates I~V) is presently mounted as a kakemono measuring 81.9cm inheight and 40.0cm in width. The scene uses a bird's eye view and oblique composition to depict a country mountain retreat in the snow. Despite the simplicity of the buildings and the mountainous area which is shown outside the wall to lower right, this painting had been mistakenly attributed since the 19th century to be a scene in the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It is probably for the above reasons that it was considered more appropriate to give this painting the general title of Nobleman's Mansion when it became classified as an Important Cultural Property in 1959. When last fall I was given the opportunity to more carefully examine this work rarely shown to the public, I noticed several points which immediately connected its subject matter to the famous 83rd chapter of the "Tales of Ise". The "Tales of Ise", a collection of brief lyrical episodes built around one or more poems, was compiled over the 10th century and has since held high acclaim throughout Japanese cultural history as one of the country's most important pieces of classical literature. Its various famous scenes have been illustrated in painting since the Heian period. The 83rd chapter describes the following story: the great poet and hero of the "Tales of Ise", Ariwara-noNarihira and Prince Koretaka of the imperial line shared a close bond of friendship thanks to their common love of poetry. Yet, this prince, extremely disappointed at having lost the chance to acceed to the throne, suddenly took the tonsure and cloistered himself in an isolated mountain retreat at the foot of Mt. Hiei in the northern part of Kyoto at Ono. The following New Year, Narihira travelled across mountain paths in snow to pay a sad visit to this solitary Prince. The poem which Narihira composed after returning from his visit was so touching that it became one of the most loved of all in this literary work.* If one looks carefully at the details of this painting, one can easily identify the three figures who have just passed through the gate in the upper left-hand corner. From their dress and posture one can see that they are Narihira and his two attendant companions. The principal building inside the inner wall is done in shinden style and is apparently that of the hermitage of Prince Koretaka from its modest but refined construction and the fragile fence (tatejitomi) enclosing it from the outside world. The delicate expression produced by very fine lines and the harmonious colors accentuated by touches of white snow impart a sense of poetic melancholy to the entire scene. Based on style and technique, this refined painting must have been produced, in my opinion, by a high-ranking court painter in the second-half of the 13th century. Furthermore, I feel that this oblong composition probably originally was one panel of a silk screen which would have been three shaku high sanjaku byōbu). It is possible that this screen was made up of six panels, each representing one of six well-known chapters from the "Tales of Ise". These six scenes would have been laid out according to the four seasons, beginning with a spring scene on the right and ending with this winter scene, the only one surviving today, which would have been on the far left. Thus, this work which has received very little attention until today may nevertheless have a very important and unique position in Japanese art history of the Kamakura period as one of the earliest illustrations on silk from the "Tales of Ise". * Narihira's poem is translated as follows by Helen Craig McCullough: When for an instant I forget, / How like a dream it seems....../ Never could I have imagined / That I would plod through snowdrifts / To see my Lord.