Pictorializing Kowaka in Elite Social Spaces : Folding-screen Adaptations of The Tale of the Soga Brothers

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  • 幸若舞曲の絵画化と受容空間に関する一考察 : 「曽我物語図屏風」を例として
  • コウワカ ブキョク ノ カイガカ ト ジュヨウ クウカン ニ カンスル イチ コウサツ : 「 ソガ モノガタリズ ビョウブ 」 オ レイ ト シテ

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Abstract

The late sixteenth to early seventeenth century produced many narrative paintings which based on classical literature such as the Tale of Genji and the Tale of Heike. It should be noted however that the number of folding screens which visualized the Tales of the Soga increased, especially in the early seventeenth century. In this paper, I would like to analyze the motifs of the Soga screens that were said to be taken from the Kowaka version of the Tale of the Soga. The motifs which were selected from the text of Kowaka were elaborately juxtaposed on the screen, representing the originality and authority of the warrior families. I will also consider the space of kaisho where warriors gathered for some rituals with a banquet and newly emerging performing arts such as Noh theatre and Kowaka were often performed, since the emergence of the gathering space of kaisho seemed to cause an increase of the production of these narrative folding screens. Kowaka-mai performances, which often narrated stories from war chronicles, functioned not only as a pacificatory requiem for those who had died in past wars but also as an expression of desire for a more peaceful future.

Journal

  • Aesthetics

    Aesthetics 66 (2), 73-84, 2015

    The Japanese Society for Aesthetics

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