Painter - Edakumino Tsukasa

During the Nara period, this was the office where painters who worked on temple architectural decorations and Buddhist paintings worked, and it had been under the Ministry of Central Affairs since the Taiho Code was issued in 701 (Taiho 1). According to the Personnel Order, there was one Kami who was the head of the Painters' Office and was in charge of painting and coloring, one Suke who was in charge of administrative duties, and one Sakan, with four painters and 60 Ekakibe as technical personnel. According to the Official Rank Order, a painter's Sho was a rank above Shorokui, a painter's Suke was a rank below Ju Shichii, and a painter's Sakan was a rank above Daisoi (Shokui), and painters were apparently similar to these Sakan.

The work of painters and artisans was further divided into different tasks, with titles such as Nurihakuchi (white clay application to the base), Mokuga (underlining the sketch), coloring, Sakai (finishing lines), Kemi, etc. This group of artisans seems to have been made up of naturalized Japanese and Japanese who had acquired the skills, and their numbers increased dramatically as the construction of large national temples became popular in the Nara period in the 8th century, but in the Heian period in the 9th century, they were reduced in size when they were merged with the Takumi-ryo together with the Urushibe no Tsukasa in 808 (Daido 3), and eventually the organization was changed to become the Imperial Court Painting Office.

[Shinichi Nagai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良時代、寺院の建築装飾や仏画の制作に従事する画師(えし)たちの勤務する役所のことで、701年（大宝1）に公布された大宝令(たいほうりょう)以来中務(なかつかさ)省に属し定められていた。職員令(しょくいんりょう)によると、画工司の長として絵事彩色などのことをつかさどる正(かみ)が1人、その下に事務をつかさどる者として佑(すけ)1人、令人(さかん)1人がおり、技術家として画師4人、画部(えかきべ)60人が置かれることになっていた。官位令によると、画工の正は正六位の上階、画工の佑は従(じゅ)七位の下階、画工の令人は大初位(だいそい)の上階（正九位）、画師もこの令人に準じたものであったらしい。

　画師、画工の仕事はさらに分業化され、塗白土（下地の白土塗り）、木画（素描の下がき）、彩色、堺(さかい)（仕上げの線がき）、検見(けみ)などの名称がつけられている。この技術者の集団は、帰化人系や日本人で技術を身につけた人たちからなっていたようで、8世紀奈良時代に入って官立の諸大寺の造立が盛んになるとともにその数は激増していったが、9世紀平安時代に入ると、808年（大同3）に漆部司(うるしべのつかさ)とともに内匠(たくみ)寮に合併されて縮小され、やがて機構の改変により宮廷画所(えどころ)となっていく。

［永井信一］

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