The Formation of "Illustrated Origins of Temples and Shrines" and "Illustrated Biographies of Esteemed Monks" in Medieval Japan and the Reception of these Genres in the Early Modern Era

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K16654
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Fine art history
• Research Institution: Tokyo National Museum
• Principal Investigator: SEYA Ai 独立行政法人国立文化財機構東京国立博物館, 学芸研究部, 主任研究員 (50555133)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 社寺縁起絵 / 高僧伝絵 / 一遍聖絵 / 中世律宗 / 一遍 / 忍性 / 霊雲寺 / 浄厳

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research focused on two genres of Buddhist narrative painting that flourished in the Kamakura period: “illustrated origins of temples and shrines” and “illustrated biographies of esteemed monks.” More specifically, its aim was to reveal who created them and who acted as the intermediaries in the production process.
One important work that acts as a bridge between these two genres is Illustrated Biography of Priest Ippen. By focusing my research on this work, I discovered that the Risshu sect in Medieval Japan may have played an important role in linking the various sects of Buddhism and the workshops where paintings were created. This newfound knowledge may also be applied to other research on contemporaneous painting, and I am confident that it will lead to a variety of new interpretations in this field of study. Lastly, I also discovered that early in the Early Modern period, which saw a revival in the interest in these two genres, there was a similar societal structure.

Free Research Field

日本絵画史