Scroll - Gakan

...This name became common during the Edo period, and in ancient and medieval times it was called "e" (picture), and today "ekotoba" (picture scroll), which is used synonymously with emaki, originally referred to the words of a picture scroll. This scroll-style painting was introduced from China (called gamaki in China) and developed uniquely in Japan, forming a representative field in the history of Japanese painting. These paintings depict the lives, customs, architecture, and furnishings of the people of the time, and many of them are of high historical value in various fields. ...

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Gamaki" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…この名称は江戸時代に一般化したもので，古代･中世においては〈……絵〉と称され，また今日では絵巻と同義語のように用いられている〈絵詞〉は本来，絵巻の詞書（ことばがき）を指すものであった。この巻物形式の絵画は中国から伝わり(中国では画巻と呼ぶ)，日本で独自の発展をとげ，日本絵画史の代表的な領域を形成した。これらの画中には，当時の人々の生活や風俗，建築，調度などが描き出され，さまざまな分野での史料的価値の高いものが少なくない。…

※「画巻」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報