Emaki

Handscroll painting is an intimate art. Like the European medieval manuscript, emaki, or Japanese handscrolls, are unrolled over a table or desk and examined slowly – artist and viewer communicating one to one. Stories are illustrated with a sequence of paintings that are viewed one at a time. The viewer reads from right to left, since writing in the Far East is written that way, using the left hand to unroll a new section of the scroll and the right hand to roll up the section just viewed. Each section is about 2’ in width, a comfortable position for the hands to hold the scroll.

The tempo of the action in the long, uninterrupted scenes rises and falls as in a musical composition, creating suspense and anticipation in the viewer’s mind. Unlike watching a film, the viewer can influence the speed of the action by pausing to inspect a detail or hastening on to a new section.[1]

Emaki vary in height from approximately 7” to 15” and individual pieces of paper are often about 23” in length. The pieces are glued to long panels of paper and sometimes extend to a length of 65’. Paintings and sometimes calligraphy are glued to a wooden roller at the left end of the handscroll. At the right end of the handscroll a wooden stave serves as the outer end support. A silk cord is attached to the stave and a fastener, which is used to secure the scroll after it is rolled up. On the back of the scroll, attached to the stave, is a protective flap of heavy silk, which also serves as a decoration. A label is put on top of the silk to identify the work. At one time the label was put on the heaven.

Emaki subject matter includes romances, war stories, and fantastic legends. Religious subject matter includes Buddhist treatises, biographies of monks, and histories of temples. Many artists contributed to the making of an emaki. One of the most famous emaki is a narrative illustrating The Tale of Genji, a romance of Japanese court life written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu in the 10^th century. The writing of the text in beautiful kana calligraphy is considered as important as the paintings.

Many Japanese consider the art of emaki as the “truest expression of the indigenous aesthetic spirit . . .”[2] There are no many emaki and many of those are considered National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties by the Japanese government.

Image of hand scroll “Competition of Thirty-Two Pairs of Poems by Artisans,” Muromachi Period, from web site

Objective
High-school students will learn about handscrolls from both Japan and China. They will learn to make their own handscroll.

Materials
paper, a variety of drawing materials including pencil, ink pens, sumi ink and brushes, colored pencil, watercolor paint.

Time
Six lessons over a three week period, each lesson 1½ hour. This lesson plan serves as an introduction to hand scrolls and a review of drawing techniques and material. Drawings will be a uniform size to mount in the hand scroll.

§ present overview of history of hand scrolls, and show animated video of “Tale of Genji”

§ brainstorm for potential images students could draw around the school. Make a list of images students will draw around the school. Subject matter can include interiors, still life, human figure, landscape and school building. (Note: get permission from administration and teachers to draw in doorways and around school). Students may plan a story to tell or draw images and arrange them to suggest a story. Make a group decision about captions and use of drawing materials.

§ drawing #1 (decided from list of images suggested in lesson one) in pencil (30 minutes)

§ critique progress of drawings and talk about how images might tell a story depending on their order in the scroll.

Yamato-e a style of Japanese painting that is evocative and poetic; a vibrant style that evokes emotion in the viewer.

Emaki (emakimono) handscrolls that illustrate stories with a sequence of paintings; they must illustrate a text, either sacred or secular, with emphasis on developments in the narrative

Kana calligraphy the Japanese syllabic script, consisting of 71 symbols and having two written varieties (hiragana, katakana)

Japanese Art, Joan Stanley-Baker, London, Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1984 , pp. 80-104.

A survey of the arts of Japan from the prehistoric period to the present. Includes many illustrations.

Emaki: Narrative Scrolls from Japan, Miyeko Murase, Japan, Nissha Printing Company, 1983.

The catalogue of an exhibition organized by The Asia Society in cooperation with the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tokyo. Includes many illustrations and explanations of the scrolls that were in the exhibition.

Emaki Picture Scrolls, Hideo Okudaira, No. 3 of Hoikusha’s Color Books Series, Osaka, Japan, 1963.

Twenty-four scrolls are highlighted in this small pocket-sized book. Includes illustrations.

A webpage created by the Kyoto National Museum, which includes a brief description of handscrolls and examples of five different handscrolls, with explanations of contents.

The Japan Information Network is a fabulous web site, especially Kids Web Japan. The handscroll pages are in the virtual museum, which has information about many of the Japanese arts. Information includes a brief overview and details about the three scrolls highlighted.

A web site from Boston, which includes pages about the Museum of Fine Arts. Tales From the Land of Dragons: 1000 years of Chinese painting features information about a recent exhibit featuring handscrolls from the museum’s world-renowned collection of early Chinese painting. Includes a timeline, overview, and pictures of and information about the scrolls featured.

A single page which gives childproof information about handscrolls from the exhibit “Getting to Know Illustrated Handscrolls”, an exhibit for children from Nara National Museum West Wing.

A Brief overview of handscrolls and pictures and descriptions of works featured in the The Suntory Museum of Art (2000) exhibit “The Miniature Realm of Handscrolls – People Who Live in Pictures.

The entire Tale of Genji is included in this incredible web site. Illustrations are wood block prints.

[1] Emaki: Narrative Scrolls from Japan, Miyeko Murase, Japan, Nissha Printing Company, 1983, p. 16.

[2] Ibid. p. 17.