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A portrait in the Yamato-e style. It became popular around the beginning of the Kamakura period, and has a strong tendency towards realism and record-keeping. Images of fictional people or objects of reverence or worship are not called portraits. It was particularly used in the world of nobles and samurai, and included not only single figures but also group portraits, with emphasis on the individual expression of facial features. The term appeared in literature from the mid-13th century, and was used until the mid-15th century. It was also used to depict not only people, but also cattle, horses, armor, and other things. This new style of portrait was first created by Fujiwara Takanobu from the end of the Heian period to the early Kamakura period, and was further developed by his son Nobuzane. Works such as "Portrait of Emperor Gotoba" (Minase Shrine, Osaka) and "Emperor Zuishin Teiki Emaki" (Okura Shukokan, Tokyo) are said to be Nobuzane's work, and he is also known for painting the original of the "Chuden Gokai Zukan," a copy of which remains. Nobuzane's family lineage is a lineage of portrait artists, which continues through Goshin, who painted "Portrait of Emperor Hanazono" (1338, Chofukuji Temple, Kyoto) in the late Kamakura period. His famous paintings of cattle and horses include "Scroll of Swift Cattle" and "Horse Doctor Scroll."

[Yasushi Murashige]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大和(やまと)絵様式による肖像画。鎌倉初期ごろから盛んとなり、写実的・記録的傾向が強い。架空の人物図や、尊崇・礼拝の対象に描かれた画像は似絵とはいわない。とくに公家(くげ)、武家の世界で用いられ、単独像はもとより、群像として描かれたものもあり、いずれも面貌(めんぼう)の個性的表現に重点が置かれている。用語としては13世紀中ごろより文献に現れ、15世紀中ごろまで使われている。また人物ばかりでなく、牛馬や具足などの図に用いられた例もみられる。この種の新しい形式の肖像画は、平安末から鎌倉初期の藤原隆信(たかのぶ)に始まり、子の信実(のぶざね)によって発展を遂げた。『後鳥羽(ごとば)上皇像』（大阪・水無瀬(みなせ)神宮）、『随身庭騎(ずいしんていき)絵巻』（東京・大倉集古館）などが信実の作と伝称され、模本として残る『中殿御会図巻(ちゅうでんぎょかいずかん)』の原本を描いたことでも知られる。信実の家系は似絵の画系として受け継がれ、『花園(はなぞの)天皇像』（1338、京都・長福寺）を描いた鎌倉末期の豪信(ごうしん)に至る。なお牛馬の絵では『駿牛(しゅんぎゅう)図巻』『馬医(ばい)草紙』などが有名である。

［村重　寧］

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