vol.21 (2025)
KOJIMA Michihiro Former Professor, School of Cultural and Social Studies,
Key words: Rakuchū-rakugai-zu byōbu, Rekihaku A version, Uesugi version, Hana no Gosho, Shōkokuji temple tower The Rakuchū-rakugai-zu byōbu (folding screens of Kyoto) is a series of paintings depicting famous places, festivals and events, and people’s daily lives along with panoramic views of Kyoto. In a research note published in Issue 5 of this journal (2009), the author discussed the Asakura version (1506), which exists only in records. The Asakura version was painted by TOSA Mitsunobu under an order from the Asakura clan, feudal lords of the Warring States period. However, research on related works has progressed, necessitating a reconsideration of its position. In addition, a critical paper has been published putting forth the theory that the Rakuchū-rakugai-zu byōbu are based on a view from the Shōkokuji temple tower, which is related to this issue. The author would like to offer a counter-criticism. Since the Shōkokuji temple tower was destroyed by fire in 1470, if the view from the tower was used in the Rakuchū-rakugai-zu byōbu, it was through the intervention of a “picture from the tower”. The oldest surviving version of Rakuchū-rakugai-zu byōbu is the Rekihaku A version (ca. 1525), which is considered to be closer to the original and has been used to investigate this issue. However, the Uesugi version (ca. 1565), which was produced at a later date, is more similar to the assumed “picture from the tower”. This means that the Uesugi version depicts the Hana no Gosho (Palace of Flowers) as it was at the time of the original shogunate, and is therefore more similar to the “picture from the tower” than the Rekihaku A version, which had undergone later modifications due to the relocation of the shogunate. From the same perspective, the Asakura version, of which only records remain, is considered to be similar to the Uesugi version and can be seen as a direct predecessor of the Uesugi version. It is considered that the elements of the Rakuchū-rakugai-zu byōbu, such as seasonal festivals and scenes of towns, were added over time to the “picture from the tower”, which is just a landscape. The Asakura version can also be examined from the perspective of the stage of this process. The significance of the fact that the Rakuchū-rakugai-zu byōbu was created from the “picture from the tower” lies in that it explains the genealogical relationship between the copies of Rakuchū-rakugai-zu byōbu and the process of their formation, rather than as a problem in itself. | |||||
