Tale of Genji Picture Scroll - Genjimonogatari Emaki

Picture scrolls. In the possession of the Tokugawa Art Museum in Aichi and the Goto Museum in Tokyo. Both are national treasures. Based on Murasaki Shikibu's "The Tale of Genji," the Tokugawa version was originally three volumes and the Goto version one volume, but both have now been framed (Tokugawa version 43 panels, Goto version 13 panels) with the words and pictures separated for each section. The Tokugawa version contains 16 sections (28 pages) of words and 15 illustrations excerpted from chapters such as "Yomogiu," "Sekiya," "Eawase," "Kashiwagi," "Yokobue," "Takekawa," "Hashihime," "Sawarabi," "Yadorigi," and "Azumaya," while the Goto version contains 4 sections (9 pages) of words and 4 illustrations excerpted from the chapters "Suzumushi," "Yugiri," and "Minori." In addition to these, fragments of words from the chapters "Suetsumuhana," "Matsukaze," "Usugumo," "Otome," and "Hotaru" have been handed down in various families. In total, 18 of the 54 chapters of Genji, 25 text sections, and 19 illustrations remain. In recent years, the theory has emerged that the "Wakamurasaki" painting at the Tokyo National Museum is also a fragment of this scroll. Based on the arrangement of the remaining volumes, it is estimated that this scroll was composed of several scenes selected from each of the 54 chapters, and that the total number of volumes was about 10. The text is written in elegant kana characters, and is made up of selected passages from the text of "The Tale of Genji" that are suitable for pictorialization. The calligraphy is classified into five different styles and is thought to have been written by five different people, but all of them are worthy of being masterpieces of Heian calligraphy, and the beauty of the scattered writing and overlapping writing seen in the legends of "Kashiwagi" and "Goho" in particular can be said to represent the height of the artistic beauty of kana. The writing paper on which the words are written is sprinkled with gold and silver sand, sprinkled with wild silk or cut gold leaf, or decorated with painted patterns, making it an extremely beautiful piece of decoration.

The paintings are done in the "tsukuri-e" style, and the elegant and graceful screens, layered with rich, splendid colors, have a kind of decorative painting feel. The "fukinuki yatai" technique is used to depict the interiors, which make up the majority of the scrolls. This is a bird's-eye view composition in which the roof and ceiling of a shinden-zukuri style floor stage are removed, and the room is looked down on from diagonally above, making it the perfect technique for illustrating a story like The Tale of Genji, which centers on the indoor life of imperial aristocrats. The characters are depicted with "hikime kagihana" (inverted eyes and hooked noses), a typical style of facial expression for aristocrats at the time. The eyes are drawn in a thin line, the nose is drawn in a "U" shape, and the lips are dotted with vermilion, making for a typical depiction that lacks individuality and expression, but on the contrary, it creates a tranquil scene that exudes boundless charm. The painting is said to be by Fujiwara Takayoshi (a court painter in the mid-12th century), but there is no certainty about this, and judging from the style of the painting, it is likely that it was produced by several people or groups.

[Yasushi Murashige]

"Tanaka Ichimatsu, ed., Newly Revised Complete Collection of Japanese Picture Scrolls 2, Tale of Genji Picture Scroll (1975, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "Komatsu Shigemi, ed., Comprehensive Collection of Japanese Picture Scrolls 1, Tale of Genji Picture Scroll and Others (1977, Chuokoron-Shinsha)" ▽ "Sano Midori, Treasures of Japanese Art 10, Tale of Genji Picture Scroll (1981, Shogakukan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

絵巻。愛知・徳川美術館ならびに東京・五島(ごとう)美術館蔵。いずれも国宝。紫式部の『源氏物語』を題材としたもので、徳川本はもと3巻、五島本はもと1巻の巻物であったが、現在はいずれも各段ごと詞(ことば)と絵とを離して、額装（徳川本43面、五島本13面）に改められている。徳川本は「蓬生(よもぎう)」「関屋(せきや)」「絵合(えあわせ)」「柏木(かしわぎ)」「横笛(よこぶえ)」「竹河(たけかわ)」「橋姫(はしひめ)」「早蕨(さわらび)」「宿木(やどりぎ)」「東屋(あずまや)」などの巻から抜粋した詞16段（28面）と絵15図を、五島本は「鈴虫(すずむし)」「夕霧(ゆうぎり)」「御法(みのり)」の巻から抜粋した詞4段（9面）と絵4図とを伝える。このほかにも「末摘花(すえつむはな)」「松風(まつかぜ)」「薄雲(うすぐも)」「少女(おとめ)」「蛍(ほたる)」の巻の詞の断片が諸家に伝存。あわせて源氏54帖(じょう)のうち18帖、詞25段、絵19図が残っていることになる。なお近年、東京国立博物館の「若紫」図も本絵巻の断簡との説が出ている。現存諸巻の配列関係の状態から推定して、この絵巻は54帖の各巻のなかから数段ずつの場面を選んで構成し、全体ではおよそ10巻程度の作品であったとみられる。詞は『源氏物語』の本文のなかから絵画化にふさわしいと思える箇所を抜き出し、流麗な仮名文字で書かれる。その書風は5種に分類され、5人の手になったとみられるが、いずれも平安書道の名筆に価し、ことに「柏木」「御法」などの詞書にみられる散らし書きや重ね書きの美しさは、仮名の造形美の極致を示すものといえる。詞をしるした料紙は金銀の砂子をまき、野毛や切箔(きりはく)を散らし、あるいは描き文様を施すなど、装飾の善美が尽くされている。

　絵は「作り絵」の画風で描かれ、濃麗な色彩を重ねた典雅で優艶(ゆうえん)な画面は、一種の装飾画的な趣(おもむき)をたたえる。絵巻の大半を占める屋内の描写には「吹抜屋台(ふきぬきやたい)」の手法が用いられる。これは寝殿造(しんでんづくり)の屋台から屋根や天井を取り去り、斜め上方から室内を見下ろす俯瞰(ふかん)的な構図法で、『源氏物語』のような王朝貴族の室内生活を中心とした物語の絵画化には最適な手法といえる。人物は、当時貴族の顔貌(がんぼう)表現の典型である「引目鈎鼻(ひきめかぎはな)」によって表される。目に細い一線を引き、鼻は「く」の字形に描かれ、唇に朱を点ずる類型的描写で、個性、表情に乏しいが、かえって静謐(せいひつ)な画面を生んで限りない情趣を漂わせる。絵は藤原隆能(たかよし)（12世紀中ごろの宮廷絵師）と伝えられるが確証はなく、画風からみてやはり数人ないし数グループの制作が想定できる。

［村重　寧］

『田中一松編『新修日本絵巻物全集2　源氏物語絵巻』（1975・角川書店）』▽『小松茂美編『日本絵巻大成1　源氏物語絵巻他』（1977・中央公論社）』▽『佐野みどり著『名宝日本の美術10　源氏物語絵巻』（1981・小学館）』

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