@article{oai:tobunken.repo.nii.ac.jp:00006045,
 author = {津田, 徹英 and Tsuda, Tetsuei},
 issue = {408},
 journal = {美術研究, The bijutsu kenkyu : the journal of art studies},
 month = {Jan},
 note = {In the 10th month of 1295, 33 years after Shinran’s death, his great-grandson Kakunyô (1270–1351) created the first illustrated biography of Shinran (1173–1263), the founder of the Jôdô Shinshû Buddhist sect. Immediately after this first production, Kakunyô made changes to the painting scrolls, and the extant Rin’a version records his involvement and the production date of the 10th month of 1295 in its colophon. Similarly, other extant versions exist today, namely the Takada version which was completed in the 12th month of 1295, the Kôei version which dates to 1343, the Shôganji version dated to 1344, the Gugan version dated to 1346 and the Josenbô version dated to 1360. All of these examples were created in handscroll form, as was the first version, contrary to the later trend to create Shinran illustrated biographies in hanging scroll format. Of particular note amongst all these is the Bukkôji version (proper name Zenshin Shônin Shinranden-e), which has been handed down at Bukkôji, the main temple of the Bukkôji school of the Jôdo Shinshû sect.
     The Bukkôji version consists of two handscrolls, and until the modern era there were only limited opportunities for the public to see the work, as it was carefully preserved and handed on at the temple. This careful handling has meant that the scrolls maintained their original bright colors, with almost no oxidation of the silver used and with almost no conservation work seen on the painting papers.
     Unfortunately, there are no extant documents directly related to the production of the Bukkôji version. The bright colors apparent on the scrolls have meant that previous scholars have considered the work to be younger than it is, with some scholars considering it to date from the 15th century, and some even to the 17th century.
     And yet, a careful re-examination of the Bukkôji version reveals that both the explanatory text and the paintings were reated at the same time, and that the explanatory texts are thought to be in imitation of the calligraphy style of Emperor Fushimi (1265–1317, reigned 1287–1298), known for its combined use of Chinese characters and Japanese syllabary. According to the Masukagami completed in the 14th century and the Shuboku-sho of Prince Son’en (1298–1356), it is known that the calligraphy style of Emperor Fushimi was highly regarded as the standard for the calligraphy of the day. Thus the explanatory texts of the Bukkôji version appear to have been created during a period when Emperor Fushimi’s calligraphy was deemed most important, in other words, sometime within the first century after his death. Further, the calligraphy on the Bukkôji version texts is particularly well written. Clearly a calligrapher of this talent level would have created the explanatory texts for other illustrated handscrolls. An examination of other extant medieval period illustrated handscrolls indicates that the same calligrapher was involved in the explanatory texts on scrolls 4, 8, and 9, and the colophon on scroll 10 of the Konrenji version of the Yûgyô shonin-engi-e. Further, the same calligrapher wrote the texts for scrolls 4 and 5 of the Tôji version of the Kôbô Daishi gyôjô-e. The latter work is known to have been created around 1374–78. In addition, the old records that accompany the latter handscrolls attribute the texts on scrolls 4 and 5 to “Go-Oshinokoji, the Minister of the Interior.” The question then arises, who was this Go-Oshinokoji former Naidaijin (the Minister of the Interior)? That title refers to Sanjô Kintada (1324–1383) who is known to have been the calligrapher of the 2nd volume of the Boki-e, thought to have been completed in 1351.
     A comparison of both the Chinese characters and the Japanese syllabary found in the Bukkôji version, the Konrenji version of the Yûgyô shonin Engi-e, the Tôji version of the Kôbô Daishi gyôjô-e and the Bukkoji version indicates that all of these works were written by the same hand.
     Given that the text and the paintings of the Bukkôji version were both created at the same time, and the fact that the calligrapher for the texts was Sanjô Kintada, then it is certain that the production of the Bukkôji version dates back to the 14th century. Given this dating, the paintings of the Bukkôji version must be reconsidered. In this reconsideration the author took note of the Josenbô version of the illustrated biography of Shinran created in 1360. There are many instances of the same motifs used in the various scenes on the Josenbô and the Bukkôji versions. This Josenbô version’s overall composition was based on the earlier Kôei version, and while the Josenbô version used the Kôei version as its model, it also incorporated some of the elements and scenes from the Bukkôji version. Thus, the Bukkôji version can be seen to pre-date the Josenbô version known to have been painted in 1360. Given that the year 1361 marked the centenary of Shinran’s death, the actual production of buildings for use in the centenary commemoration would have been carried out at that time, with a five-day period of dedication rituals for the new structures recorded to have been held in the 3rd month of 1360. It can then be surmised that the Bukkôji version was also created during this period. Thus the Bukkôji version creation has as its terminus the 1360 creation of the Josenbô version, and it would seem appropriate that it predated that time to some degree.
     Five examples of illustrated handscrolls with texts written by Sanjô Kintada are known, including the four extant works and one known through documents. Thus Kintada must be considered in the role of calligrapher for illustrated handscrolls when we consider the calligraphers of medieval period handscrolls. Of the five projects he is known to have worked on, including the Bukkôji version, both the Boki-e and the Kôbô Daishi Gyôjô-e were painted by the head of the imperial court’s painting studio. The painting skills and technical standard of such a studio head would have been commensurate with the high ranking aristocratic calligrapher, Sanjô Kintada, chosen for the accompanying texts. Thus, it can be assumed that the painter and painting studio who brushed the Bukkôji version would have been a painter whose rank, skills and technical abilities were commensurate with the high ranking aristocrat Sanjô Kintada who wrote that version’s texts.
     The depiction in the Bukkôji version has previously been noted as “vulgar or coarse.” However, what has been overlooked about this painting style is the scene of Shinran’s cremation, where the dense foliage of the trees and the snow-dusted distant mountain views can be seen as sourced from the scenery depiction of the lightly snow-dusted Mt. Mikasa in the Kasuga Gongen-Genki-e of 1309. Similarly, the intricate ink-line depiction of the waves on the surface of Lake Ashino in Hakone seems to be sourced in the same 1309 work. The figural depiction, such as the facial expressions of the manifestation of the Kumano deity, seen with Shinran in the Kumano Shrine building, along with their garments have been extremely intricately colored in fully elegant form. The painter of these elements, and his affiliated painting studio, clearly must be seen as having had considerable talent and technical ability.
     What must not be overlooked as well is the fact that somewhat earlier than the 1360 date of the Bukkôji version, the Bukkôji sect regularly commissioned paintings from the painting studio affiliated with the Gion Shrine. The chief painter of the imperial court’s painting studio would have been chosen from the Gion Shrine-affiliated painting studio, and in addition to the creation of the Boki-e for which Sanjô Kintada wrote the texts, that studio would have also created a set of handscrolls, the Suwa Daimyôjin-ekotoba (scattered and now lost), whose text written by high ranking nobles in 1356. The Gion Shrine-affiliated painting studio can thus be considered to be a painting studio of sufficient rank and talent to match the calligraphy commissioned from Sanjô Kintada.
     Thus, confirming the 14th century date of the Bukkôji version will have an important influence upon the study of the medieval handscrolls. This new dating is related to the understanding of handscroll painting style in the latter half of the 14th century. The basis for the previous ca. 15th century attribution of the Bukkôji version can be found in its so called “clear and strongly vulgar or coarse painting style,” but in fact it must be noted that this painting style itself was one of the trends of the latter half of the 14th century. The awareness of this trend suggests the necessity for a re-evaluation of the dating of the handscrolls attributed to the 15th century on the basis of this style.
     The confirmation of the 14th century date for the Bukkôji version is particularly meaningful for this stylistic matter.},
 pages = {1--94},
 title = {佛光寺本『善信聖人親鸞伝絵』の制作時期をめぐって},
 year = {2013}
}