BackNo.74
FEBRUARY 1938
This summary is compiled by Mr. TAKASHI KATSUKI.
SCROLL PAINTING TENGU SOSHI
BY JIRO UMEZU
The present scroll painting Tengu Soshi consisting of seven scrolls is treasured among different collections. Although this is a renowned scroll painting an article by Mr. Shin-ichi Tani which appeared in the Kokka, No. 496, seems to be the only study on the present work to have been published so far. One of the seven scrolls of Tenglt Soshi, now owned by the Nezu family was reproduced in the Bijutsu Kenkyu, No. 50, and the explanation was given by the present writer. In the present number of the same journal the writer desires to introduce the whole of the Tengu Soshi as a report of his examination of the work.
Of the remaining seven scrolls five are original and two are copies of which the originals are, so far as is known, non-existent. No scroll number is given them but each scroll goes by its traditional appellation as follows:
Kofukuji scroll (Copy), owned by the Imperial Household Museum.
Todaiji scroll (Copy), owned by the Imperial Household Museum.
Enryakuji scroll, owned by the Imperial Household Museum.
Onjoji or Miidera scroll, owned by Marquis Maeda
Toji-Daigo-Koya scroll, owned by the Imperial Household Museum.
Miidera scroll, owned by Count Hisamatsu.
Miidera scroll, owned by Mr. Nezu.
As seen above three scrolls, strange to say, go under the same name, Miidera, the last two for no reason in particular. It is due to an error in judgement on the part of the connoiseurs of the later period and also probably to the fact that the scrolls were already scattered in the early times and opportunities to examine them were extremely rare. The independent nature of the contents of each scroll gave the impression that each should be an independent work but the development of the story of the Tengw Soshi which is not told in order as was customarily done is also responsible for the ambiguity of the number of the scrolls.
According to the introductory part of the text of the Kofukuji scroll dated the fourth year of Einin (1296) the author treated the priests sarcastically as Tengu, long-nosed goblin, because the priests of the time were haughty and arrogant. Those considered Tengu included the priests in the Kofukuji, Todaiji, Ranjo (Onjoji), Toji and the yamabushi and Tonsei. There are seven different aspects of arrogance, according to a certain Buddhistic scripture, and they were applied to the priests of the seven different temples.
After a careful examination of the texts and illustrations of each scroll the present writer proceeds next to the questions of the names and number of the scrolls. As mentioned before there are three scrolls called Miidera. As a matter of fact, however, the so-called Miidera scroll is completed, so far as the story goes, by one which is now in Marquis Maeda's collection and this should be the only scroll to properly be called under the same name. Next, the question arises pertaining to the attribution of the names of the Tonsei and the Yamabushi to the remaining two scrolls, that is, the Hisamatsu and Nezu scrolls. The former may be assigned to the Tonsei but the latter which seems to have no relation to the Yamabushi is considered to be the final scroll of the Tengu Soshi. The stories of all the scrolls are based on the old Buddhistic faith except the Hisamatsu scroll which is based on the newly arisen Buddhistic belief. Therefore, the representation of the Yamabushi is completely lost in the present Tengu Soshi. Under these circumstances the present seven scrolls may be arranged as follows: first, the Kofukuji; second, the Todaiji; third, the Enryakuji; fourth, the Onjoji; fifth, the Toji; sixth, the scrolls owned by Count Hisamatsu; and seventh, the scrolls owned by Mr. Nezu.
Whether the combination of the texts and illustrations was so made originally or rearranged in the course of time is a question. Measuring the length of each scroll, however, the writer concludes that the present state of the combination must be original although the Hisamatsu scroll is complicated and the Toji and Enryakuji scrolls are much shorter than all the others.
So much for the stylistic analyses of the scrolls. Next, the writer focusses the discussion on the problems of the calligrapher and the artist. Some scrolls are accompanied with a postscript written later indicating the names of the calligrapher of the texts or the painter of the illustrations or both, and also accompanied with separate autographic notes to the same purpose. Thus, the names of the five calligraphers of the texts are given but, chronologically speaking, they lived after 1296. This is another sign that we cannot fully trust connoiseurship in the old times.
Can we consider that the texts were done in 1296, then? The present writer finds no conflict of text with date although they are apparently done by different hands.
Regarding the artist of the illustrations again we cannot agree with the connoiseurs' attributions, and it is possible that the Tengu Soshi scrolls which are painted in the style of the pure Yamato-e School were done by a single artist; the fourth year of Einin (1296) will hence be accepted as the date of the execution. Although there is inconsistency in the color scheme it was necessitated by the various subject matters.
We are not only impressed by the large scale execution of the work but also by the extensive use of the trailing mist as seen in the scenes of Mt. Hiei which is quite unusual in the Yamato-e. The quietness in the precinct of the temple in the Toji scroll (Cuts on pp. 4 & 5) and the scene of turmoil in the Hisamatsu scroll (Pl. IV) are well represented. Despite the fact that the present scrolls were produced at the end of the Kamakura Period the noble atmosphere which is the distinctive feature of the Yamato-e permeates the scrolls.
There are two things peculiar to the present Tengu Soshi. One is that in the texts generally the origins of the temples are related while the illustrations treat principally the contemporary priests of the temples-the texts and illustrations are not actually connected. The other is that there are remarks found on the illustrations which were neither made with the purpose of calling the onlookers' attention nor emphasizing the plot of the story but they were necessary because the illustrations were not directly illustrative of the stories just as told as in the texts. Some remarks were written before and some after the completion of the pictures by the same artist who painted the illustrations. Thus, the present scrolls were originally so planned that each part would supplement the other-the texts relating the cause and the illustrations depicting the effect.
Lastly the present writer touches upon the various literary works from which the story of the Tengu Soshi was derived. The story belongs to a kind of satirical religious literature born from the conglomeration of various elements of the former periods.
Their uniqueness together with their dating in the fourth year of Einin (1296) give the present scrolls an important position in the history of scroll painting in Japan. Unfortunately the artist is unknown but he must be one of the leading artists of the time judging from the present work which is a masterpiece.
STUDIES ON THE BIOGRAPHY OF KAISEKI NORO (PART III)
BY SENZO MORI
In this last part of the Studies on the Biography of Kaiseki Noro introduced in the present paper are the events which occurred during the last two years between the ninth year of Bunsei (1826) and the eleventh year of the same era (1828) when Kaiseki passed away at the age of eighty-one in Wakayama. Despite his attainment of an advanced age Kaiseki retained his ever-constant enthusiasm in painting as seen in his works produced during the said years among which is a minutely detailed "Landscape."
In 1826 upon reaching the age of eighty, according to the Japanese way of counting, a celebration was planned by his pupils in behalf of their preceptor Kaiseki; there was also a plan afloat to ask the contemporary artists and literati to donate their paintings, poems and calligraphies for the benefit of this auspicious occasion but that was abandoned at the protest of honest Kaiseki.
His last work consisting of three pictures-Pine, Bamboo and Plum Tree-was finished a few days before he died. Only one of the three-Pine-was finishled with the artist's seal and autographic appellation of the picture and to the remaining two were added at the wish of Kaiseki the poems by San-yo, most respected friend of the artist, who in the third year of Tempo (1832) also succumbed.
According to the brief biography of Kaiseki the "Talks on Art by Kaiseki" which was compiled by his pupils was completed in 1829. This work, however, seems possibly the same as one which is known as the "Shihekisai Gawa" as mentioned in Part II; the "Shihekisai Gawa" will appear in the March number of the Bijutsu Kenkyu being reprinted from the original manuscripts.
Lastly, the present writer introduces several letters of Kaiseki in which the state of matters among his friends is revealed. A letter by Kaiseki is reproduced on page seventeen of the present Bijutsu Kenkyu; in it the addressee is not identified but Kaiseki asks him not to send a certain visitor on account of illness. The present writer admits that Kaiseki's hand writing is not an easy one to read.
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES
Pls. I (Color) & XIII Nabeshima Bottle with Floral Design.
Porcelain.
Height: 30.6 cm.; diameter of mouth: 3.7 cm.;
diameter of widest part: 19.7 cm. ; diameter of base: 14.2 cm.
Collection of Mr. John Gadsby, Tokyo.
The well-balanced shape of the present Nabeshima bottle is due to the skillful manipulation of the potter's wheel. The bottle is thin but hard and glazed in bluish white which gives especially satisfactory results.
The ware is embellished with tachibana (Mandarine orange) and chrysanthemums on one side (Pl. I) and pine trees, bamboo, plum-blossoms, a crane and turtle on the other (Pl. XIII). The design is carefully outlined in indigo and the coloring in red, yellow and green creates decorative splendor. In design particularly the pine tree remind us of the style of the Kano School and we imagine it was drawn by a certain artist of competence of the same School. This charming work of art is thought, according to the present exponent, to be one of those produced right after the opening of the Okochi kiln.
Pl. II Scroll Painting Tengu Soshi.
Color on paper.
Length: 748.9 cm; width: 29.4 cm.
Collection of Marquis Maeda, Tokyo.
(See the article by Jiro Umezu)
Pls. III, IV & VII-XII Scroll Painting Tengu Soshi.
Color on paper.
Length: 1293.1 cm.; width: 29.8 cm.
Collection of Count Hisamatsu, Ehime.
(See the article by Jiro Umezu)
Pls. V & VI Wild Geese and Reed, by Niten (Japanese, seventeenth century).
Ink on paper. Mounted as a pair of sixfold screens.
Collection of Marquis Hosokawa, Tokyo.
Niten (Miyamoto Musashi) the artist of the present screens is by no means a professional painter but he is better known as a swordsman of fame. His preference for painting is thought to have begun in his late years and the subject matter in which he specialized is limited in variety. Notwithstanding, Niten as an artist was counted as one of the outstanding figures among professional artists of the Tokugawa Period.
It is due to the fact that he is among the few artists who created their own artistic expression and whose art was free from the formula of the Kano and other Schools, principal exponents of the ink painting of the time.
The present paintings are among the largest in scale of his remaining works: in the former the influence of Kaiho Yusho is particularly noticeable in the pine tree on the right screen (Pl.VI). In the present pictures is painted a spot of nature near the water with wild geese among the reed. The calligraphic representation of the objects in black and white is achieved by the ingenuity in his brush strokes and the slight touches in gold on the foreground are suggestive of twilight. Despite the economy of the brush strokes the flocks of wild geese in particular are, from the three dimensional aspect, successfully done. The present screens, however, bear neither the signature of the artist nor the seal in which he probably observed the custom of the time as the screens are said to have been painted at the command of his feudal lord.