Illustrated Scroll of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets

This is a picture scroll of 36 poets selected by Fujiwara no Kinto, accompanied by a brief biography and one poem. The oldest surviving example is a two-volume version (commonly known as the "Satake version") handed down by the Satake family, produced in the early Kamakura period (first half of the 13th century). The calligraphy is said to be by Gokyogoku Yoshitsune and the illustrations by Fujiwara no Nobuzane, but there is no proof. In 1919 (Taisho 8), the scroll was cut into pieces for each poet, and remodeled into hanging scrolls that are now kept in various homes. The depiction of the figures' faces shows a realistic expression of individuality that incorporates the newly developed technique of portrait painting, and the clothing is sometimes brilliantly colored, making it a masterpiece of poetic painting. The Agedatami version of the Thirty-six Immortal Poets Scroll, produced around the same time, depicts each immortal sitting on an Agedatami tatami mat, but it has also been passed down as a single fragment and is a representative example of the period when immortal poets were in vogue. In addition to this, the Shakkyo Thirty-six Immortal Poets Scroll (1347) was produced by white ink during the Nanboku-cho period, and many other types of Thirty-six Immortal Poets scrolls were produced after the Muromachi period, including the Narikane version, Gotoba-in version, Tameie version, Mokuhitsu version, and the New Thirty-six Immortal Poets.

[Yasushi Murashige]

"Mori Nobuaki ed., Newly Revised Complete Collection of Japanese Picture Scrolls 19: Thirty-six Immortal Poets" (1979, Kadokawa Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

藤原公任撰(きんとうせん)の36人の歌人の画像に、略歴と歌1首を添えて構成した絵巻。もっとも古い遺品は佐竹家伝来の二巻本（通称「佐竹本」）で、鎌倉初期（13世紀前半）の制作になり、書は後京極良経(ごきょうごくよしつね)、絵は藤原信実(のぶざね)と伝称されるが確証はない。1919年（大正8）に各歌仙ごとに切断され、掛物に改装されて現在諸家に分蔵されている。人物の顔貌(がんぼう)描写には新しくおこった似絵(にせえ)の手法を取り入れた写実的な個性表現がうかがえ、着衣にはときに華麗な彩色が用いられ、歌仙絵の最高傑作とされる。これとほぼ同じころの制作になる上畳(あげだたみ)本三十六歌仙絵巻は、各歌仙が上畳の上に坐る姿で描かれたものであるが、やはり一図ずつの断簡として伝わっており、歌仙絵の流行期を代表する作例である。このほか南北朝時代の白描による『釈教三十六歌仙絵巻』（1347）、さらに室町以後には業兼(なりかね)本、後鳥羽院(ごとばいん)本、為家(ためいえ)本、木筆(もくひつ)本、新三十六歌仙など多種の三十六歌仙絵巻がつくられた。

［村重　寧］

『森暢編『新修日本絵巻物全集19　三十六歌仙絵』（1979・角川書店）』

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