Karae - Karae

A term used to refer to Chinese paintings and paintings created in Japan that imitated them. From the middle of the Heian period, Japan began to break away from the influence of Chinese culture and develop its own unique Japanese culture, and Japanese-style "Yamato-e" paintings also began to be created. In contrast, paintings imported from China and Chinese-style paintings created in Japan were called "kara-e." However, the distinction between the two was not based on the style of painting, but on the subject matter they dealt with. In other words, if the subject matter was Japanese, it was called Yamato-e, and if the subject matter was Chinese, it was called kara-e. The earliest example of the term kara-e can be found in "Kurōdoshiki," which was compiled around the Kanpyō era (889-898) and is quoted in "Kitayamashō." Kara-e continued to be produced until the early Kamakura period, along with Yamato-e, but in the late Kamakura period, when the import of Song and Yuan paintings became popular, Kara-e came to be used mainly to refer to these new-style Song and Yuan paintings, as well as paintings produced in Japan that imitated these styles. These new-style paintings are also called "Chinese paintings."

[Etsuko Kato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の絵画およびこれに倣って日本で制作された絵の呼称。平安時代中ごろより、日本ではそれまでの中国文化の影響を脱し独自の和風文化が形成されたが、絵画においても日本的な「大和絵(やまとえ)」が描かれるようになった。これに対して、中国からの舶載画や、日本で制作されたものでも中国的な絵画を「唐絵」とよんだ。ただし、両者の区別は画風によるものではなく、扱う題材によるものであった。すなわち、日本的な題材を扱えば大和絵、中国的な題材を扱えば唐絵とよばれた。唐絵という呼称のもっとも早い例は、『北山抄』に引用された寛平(かんぴょう)年間（889～898）ごろ成立の『蔵人式(くろうどしき)』にみられる。唐絵は大和絵とともに鎌倉時代前期まで制作され続けたが、鎌倉後期に入り宋元(そうげん)絵画の舶載が盛んになると、唐絵はこれら新画風の宋元絵画や、さらにこの画風に倣って日本で制作された絵画の呼称としておもに用いられるようになった。なお、このような新画風の絵画は「漢画」ともよばれる。

［加藤悦子］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例