Children's Tales - Chigozoushi

Japanese: 稚児草紙 - ちごぞうし

This is a picture scroll from the Kamakura period that depicts the sodomy between a monk and a boy that was popular in medieval monasteries and is housed at the Sanboin Temple of Daigoji Temple. The single volume consists of five sections of text and five sections of images, and each screen depicts a secret love affair between a monk and a boy, with the dialogue between the two written into the painting. Along with Koshibagaki Soshi (Kamakura period), which depicts a secret love affair between Saigū and Takiguchi samurai Taira Munemitsu, this is a unique genre of picture scroll. The colophon states that it was copied in 1321, and shows the characteristics of picture scrolls of this period, such as delicate depictions and gentle colors, which soften the explicit sexual depictions.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中世僧院で流行した僧侶と稚児との男色に取材した鎌倉時代の絵巻で，醍醐寺三宝院に所蔵される。1巻で詞5段，絵5段から成り，各画面はいずれも僧と稚児の秘戯の図で，画中に2人の対話を書き入れている。斎宮と滝口の武士，平致光（むねみつ）の秘戯を描いた《小柴垣草紙》(鎌倉時代)などとともに，絵巻の中で異色のジャンルをなす。奥書に元亨元年(1321)書写とあり，繊細な描写やおだやかな彩色などこの時代の絵巻の特色を示し，それがあらわな性描写を和らげている。

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

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