Ban Dainagon Ekotoba - Ban Dainagon Ekotoba

A picture scroll from the late Heian period. Three volumes. National Treasure. Also known as the Ban Dainagon Emaki. It is based on the Otenmon Gate arson incident that occurred in the spring of 866 (Jogan 8). It tells the story of how the then Dainagon Tomo Yoshio set fire to the Otenmon Gate, one of the most important gates in Kyoto, in an attempt to bring down his political rival, the Minister of the Left, Minamoto Makoto, and pin the blame on Minamoto, but instead his plot was discovered and he was brought down. Almost identical versions of this tale are included in the Treasure Collection and the Tales of Uji. The picture scroll is thought to have originally been one long volume, but is now composed of three volumes: the first volume depicts the burning of the Otenmon Gate and Fujiwara Yoshifusa visiting Seiryoden to plead for the truth of the incident, the middle volume depicts Minamoto no Shin pleading his innocence to the Emperor and the children's quarrel that led to the truth being revealed, and the third volume depicts the summons and interrogation of a toneri who witnessed the arson, and the escort of Dainagon Tomo, who was exiled. The composition, which makes use of the long continuous screens in each volume to skillfully capture the progression of events as they unfold one after the other, sometimes using techniques such as the simultaneous depiction of different times, is particularly noteworthy, along with the contemporary "Shigisan Engi."

The depictions are done with bold brushstrokes and rich colors, with vivid colors woven throughout, dominating the entire volume. The characters range from the Emperor and nobles to common people, and are depicted using different styles, with accurate depictions of their postures and expressions. The depictions of the crowds of spectators gathering at fires and fights are particularly noteworthy, as is the accurate depiction of the customs of the Kebiishi (police officers). The refined and excellent brushwork conveys the orthodox traditions of the Imperial Court Painting Studio, and the artist is said to be Tokiwa Mitsunaga, who was active around the retired Emperor Goshirakawa from the mid- to late 12th century, and the most likely theory is that the inscription was written by Fujiwara Norinaga. Judging from the depiction of the mounted escorts of the kebiishi who were called out to the fire, it is believed to have been produced around 1170 (Kao 2). After the Middle Ages, it was passed down to Shin-Hachiman Palace in Wakasa Province (Fukui Prefecture), and later became the property of the feudal lord, the Sakai family, but is currently housed at the Idemitsu Museum of Art in Tokyo.

[Yasushi Murashige]

"Komatsu Shigemi, editor, Japanese Picture Scrolls 2: Ban Dainagon Ekotoba" (1987, Chuokoron-Shinsha)" ▽ Tanaka Ichimatsu, editor, New Complete Collection of Japanese Picture Scrolls 5: Ban Dainagon Ekotoba (1976, Kadokawa Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安後期の絵巻。三巻。国宝。『伴大納言絵巻』ともいう。866年（貞観8）春に起きた応天門の放火事件に題材を得たもの。時の大納言伴善男(とものよしお)が政敵の左大臣源信(まこと)を失脚させるため、京の重要な門の一つである応天門に火を放ち、その罪を源信に負わせるが、かえってその陰謀が露見し、失脚するという顛末(てんまつ)が説かれる。この説話は『宝物集』や『宇治拾遺物語』にもほぼ同じ内容のものが収録されている。絵巻はもと長大な一巻であったとみられるが、現在は三巻からなり、上巻は応天門炎上と、清涼殿に参じ事件の真相糾明を唱える藤原良房(よしふさ)、中巻は天に無実を訴える源信、真相暴露のきっかけとなった子供の喧嘩(けんか)、下巻は放火現場の目撃者である舎人(とねり)の召喚取調べ、流罪となった伴大納言の護送が描かれる。各段の長い連続画面を利して、次々に展開される事件の推移をときに異時同図法などを交えて巧みにとらえた構成力は、同時代の『信貴山(しぎさん)縁起』とともに特筆される。

　描写は闊達(かったつ)な筆線で図様した上に濃厚な色彩を用い、随所に鮮麗な賦彩を織り込んだ明快な色調が全巻を支配している。登場人物は天皇、公卿(くぎょう)から路傍の庶民に至る各層を表現法を変えて描き分け、姿態、表情も的確にとらえている。とくに火事場や喧嘩に集まる見物人の群像描写にみるべきものがあり、また検非違使(けびいし)などの風俗表現の正確さも指摘できる。洗練された優れた筆技は宮廷画所(えどころ)の正統様式の伝統を伝え、筆者は、12世紀中ごろから後半にかけて後白河(ごしらかわ)上皇の周辺で活躍した常磐光長(ときわみつなが)と伝えられ、詞書(ことばがき)は藤原教長(のりなが)説が有力視されている。火災に出動する検非違使随兵の騎馬するありさまなどから、およそ1170年（嘉応2）前後の制作と考えられる。中世以降若狭(わかさ)国（福井県）新八幡(はちまん)宮に伝わり、のち領主酒井家の所有となるが、現在は東京・出光(いでみつ)美術館蔵。

［村重　寧］

『小松茂美編『日本の絵巻2　伴大納言絵詞』（1987・中央公論社）』▽『田中一松編『新修日本絵巻物全集5　伴大納言絵詞』（1976・角川書店）』

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