Preliminary Consideration to Disabilities and Lepers Depicted in Medieval Pictures, “Yugyō Shōnin Engi”, “Shōtoku Taishi Eden”, and “Yūzū Nembutsu Engi” in Japan

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  • SUEMORI Akio
    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

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Other Title
  • 中世絵画史料《遊行上人縁起絵》《聖徳太子絵伝》《融通念仏縁起絵》諸本にみる不具および犬神人の描写に関する予備的考察
  • チュウセイ カイガ シリョウ 《 ユギョウ ショウニン エンギエ 》 《 ショウトク タイシ エデン 》 《 ユウズウ ネンブツ エンギエ 》 ショホン ニ ミル フグ オヨビ イヌガミジン ノ ビョウシャ ニ カンスル ヨビテキ コウサツ

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Abstract

This note canvasses transitions of disabilities and/or lepers depicted in medieval manuscripts comprised three well-known pictures, “Yugyō Shōnin Engi”, “Shōtoku Taishi Eden”, and “Yūzū Nembutsu Engi” in Japan to contribute to the historical iconography from the viewpoints of changes of social recognition for the disabilities and/or lepers. / First, we compared design/layout of disabilities and/or lepers depicted in scenes of “Jimoku-Ji Segyō（tr. Charity for the poor, beggars, disabilities, and lepers)” concluded in the “Yugyō Shōnin Engi”, indicating only cripples and blind persons who were portrayed around a communal dining circle for beggars. This arrangement strongly suggested visually a hierarchy in the class of beggars and disabilities. Second, measuring scenes of “Mushae（tr. Charity）” in manuscripts of the “Shōtoku Taishi Eden”, providing new knowledge that disabilities and lepers had become popular as a subject painted in the scenes in addition to the poor and beggars since the late middle ages. Finally, observing scenes “Nembutsu Kanjin （tr. a mass in Buddhism）” concluded in the “Yūzū Nembutsu Engi”, uncovering a change that disabilities and lepers were equally arranged with un-disabled beggars in a communal dining circle in the latest manuscript, however, that the disabilities had painted prior to the lepers in early manuscripts. / The finding regarding the layout of the disabilities and lepers in the medieval pictures profoundly indicated reduction of the hierarchy in the poor, beggars, disabilities, and lepers with the times in the middle ages because of the changes, which comprised the convergence and divergence, of recognition for the disabilities and/or lepers. However, the deaf or deaf-mute was not observed in above mentioned pictures, suggesting an aporia that there were dominant icons for the disabilities such as the cripple or blind persons and recessive ones like the deaf or deaf-mute.

Journal

  • 障害史研究

    障害史研究 2 41-62, 2021-03-25

    Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University

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