BackNo.75
MARCH 1938
This summary is compiled by Mr. TAKASHI KATSUKI.
PANEL WALL PAINTINGS OF FUKIJI TEMPLE
BY MASUTO TOYOOKA
Fukiji is known as the only extant ecclesiastical structure among those built in the Fujiwara Period and its historical significance is great. However, due to the fact that the temple is located in a remote corner the important nature of the temple was neglected.
Fortunately, the Institute of Art Research had sent its members to investigate the present situation of the temple and the result was recently published in a work known as the Sources of Eastern Arts, Series 6, by the same Institute, of which the introduction was written by the present writer, the present paper being a summary of the introduction.
The name of Fukiji is found with many other temples built in the vicinity in an old document compiled in the third year of Nin-an (1168). Fukiji is the so-called Amida Hall facing the south and situated halfway up the hill and its simple square building of wooden structure (Cut on page 2) harmonizes with the beautiful surroundinws quite well.
In the center of the Hall are placed the wooden images of Amida flanked by two attendants on the sacred dais (Cut on page 3). They were originany embellished with gold leaf but that is now almost gone and the images themselves are likewise in a deplorable condition. These sculptures are thought to have been carved around the end of the Fujiwara Period although the present attendants did not originally belong to the central figure.
The pictures are drawn on the panelled wall behind the Amida triad, the four pillars of the chancel, the friezes of wood above inside the chancel and the small panelled walls above inside the Hall. Representing the paradise the panelled wall bears the Amida triad in the center which is surrounded by many heavenly beings in the garth and a sacred pond outside the corridor in the foreground. They are drawn primarily in line on a ground prepared with whitewash and painted in vermilion, green and blue. They are, however, so badly worn that the original state can only be imagined from the remaining colors. Special attention is called to the perspective and 'bird's-eye' view representation employed in the composition (Pl. II).
On the pillars may be traced over seventy Bodhisattvas and the designs of religious instruments and hosoge; they are painted directly on the wooden surfaces and, according to the present writer, might have been taken from the mandalas.
The inside friezes above the chancel are decorated with fifty figures of Amitabha seated cross-legged on the pedestal of lotus petals. They are drawn exactly the same way in line on the white ground and painted afterwards in color. As for the number of figures, however, there is no conclusive documentary evidence proving that there must be fifty and it may just have been a coincidence, and it is probably a representation of the Thousand Buddhas as is found to be true of other remaining examples, also mentioned in the old documents.
Of the four sides of the small upper wall spaces the paintings on the East wall are preserved in the best condition and the central deity which seems to be the seated Bhaisajyaguru is thanked by an attendant Bodhisattva on either side, each of which is surrounded by many heavenly beings. As seen in Plate 1 the contour of the figures is drawn both in light and deep black ink; the figures are Painted in pinkish color and for the most part simply on a whitewashed ground; the vestment paraphernalia are in different colors.
Although the South wall is not as well preserved as the East and the names of the deities are unknown, the main Buddha--probably Sakya--is set in the center and is attended by many other Buddhistic figures which are fewer in number compared with those of the East wall. The color scheme, on the whole, resembles that of the East but the outline is drawn in red.
The West wall is decorated the same way but in its present condition it is much worse than those of the East and South. The coloring is generally the same as that of the East wall. Although the figures, including the main Buddha, are badly exfoliated and the exact names of the figures are unknown they are supposed to have heen Amitabha and other heavenly beings because they are painted on the west side.
The North wall was likewise originally panelled with paintings but a part of the original panel has since been removed to some other location in the same Hall and replaced with a new panel which bears no picture. Fortunately, the central deity remains on the part of the original panel but its present condition is so bad that the outline is only discernible in the Infra-red photograph. These wall paintings, according to the other examples, are supposed to be the Paradises for the Four Buddhas but the present walls entirely lack the Buddhistic structures and other features which always appear in pictures of this kind. These features make the examples unusual.
Next the writer desires to comment on the technical features of the painting in general of which the panelled wall painting behind the statue of Amitabha is done in typical Japanese taste in employing easy and unpretentious brush strokes and resulting admirably in the pictures on the friezes and small upper walls. It is interesting to find that two different techniques are used in the linear representation, one repainted over the original and the other the basic painting. The former is a technique common to Buddhist painting in general but the latter is quite unusual and we rarely come across examples of that kind.
Furthermore, the present paintings--contrary to the ordinary religious paintings which are generally painted meticulously in color--are depicted principally in ink and the color is of secondary importance. The symbolic and stenographic representation of the sacred tree which is attached to the nimbus of each main deity and his attendants is rivalled by no similar example. Under these circumstances the present works may be surmised to have been executed within a limited length of time.
We come finally to the subject of the date of the works, which is difficult to determine owing to the scarcity of analogous example for comparison and also to geographic relations; their facile lines and the suave expression of the figures suggest to us that the date may be set towards the end of the Fujiwara Period.
KOGYO TERAZAKI AS A WAR ART-CORRESPONDENT
BY TARO ODAKANE
Those who served as war art-correspondents in the Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905) were not few in number and among them was Kogyo Terazaki (1866-1919) who was a professor at the Imperial School of Art, Tokyo and who later became one of the leading artists of the time. Sketches, paintings, which latter were done from the sketches afterwards, and detailed information on his connections with the army and navy during the war time are introduced in the present paper.
According to Kogyo through his three months' war experiences the war picture should be so painted as to not offend the aesthetic sense of the onlookers and yet to impress them with the appalling atmosphere. The sketch-books carried by him are now kept in the Terazaki family and therein may be found his drawings originally done by pencil and later touched up in slight color or in ink. More than thirty soldiers are portrayed in them-unusual examples by the present artist.
The significance of these sketches, however, lies in their importance as historical data rather than as works of art. The cuts reproduced on page twenty-three of the present number of the Bijutsu Kenkyu were based on his original sketches after he returned to his country.
MUTO SHUl--Corpus of Eastern Arts. Series II--
BY HAJIME WATANABE
As is the case with Mokuan Reien (Series I) the present study on Muto Shui consists of various parts and only historical data, old documents concerning his art, the catalogue of his works, books of reference, the index of the reproduced pictures, a chronological table and introduction to his life are included in the present paper but the reproduction of the artist's seal is not included here because no example has so far been discovered.
Shui of the early fourteenth century occupies an important place among the artist-priests of the Zen sect of the early days. Although his art is examplified onily by the Portrait of Muso Kokushi (Pl. IV & V) today, his painting was not limited to portraits. The historical data informs us of his activities as an artist of calibre, suggesting also that he held a close relationship with the artists of monochrome painting in ink of the landscape.
A study on Shui, pupil of Muso Kokushi, by the late Prof. S. Sawamura is, so far as the present writer knows, the only one of the kind. For the source of the following statement, therefore, we are much indebted to Prof. Sawamura.
The name of Priest Shui is infrequently found in the biographical works on art issued in modern times, but we come across his name more often in the old documents. According to the document Mukyoku-osho-den there was a portrait of Muso Kokushi painted by Shui, hearing a poem written and dated the fifth year of Teiwa (1349) by the same sitter. The existence of another Portrait of Muso Kokushi by the same artist is related in the other document Tenryu-kaizan-kokushi-sinsho-ki, on which Muso Kokushi also wrote a poem dated the fourth year of Rekio (1340). As a matter of fact the name of Shui as a portrait painter of Muso Kokushi was well known even in the later period. Although there exist different portraits of Muso Kokushi bearing his autographic poems, one which is now owned by Myochiin, Kyoto, is the only example recognized so far to have surely been done by Shui (Pls. IV & V) whose signature found on the work is reproduced in the actual size on page thirtysix of the present Bijutsu Kenkyu. In this portrait which is done very carefully is observed the Sung and Yuan realism and its lively representation in light color suggests to us that it must have been painted from life. This remarkable work with these features is naturally considered a masterpiece in figure painting in Japan.
Beside the portrait, we are told, as mentioned before, that Shitoan of Saihoji founded by Muso Kokushi had a wall painting by Shui with an poem written by Muso Kokushi although the work was later replaced with a picture by a pupil of the artist for preservation. The subject of the painting is also known to have been taken from the Zen faith and this fact attests that Shui worked on wall painting as well. The Kuge-nichiyo-kufu-ryakushu relates this for the twelfth month of the second year of Koreki (1380) which date corresponds to the twenty-ninth year of Muso Kokushi's death and the calligraphy of the priest should have been prized among followers. The reason for the removal of the wall painting for preservation, on the other hand, is thought to have been partly due to the reputation of the prelate as well as the artistic merit of the work by Shui. The latter fact also suggests to us that Shui was probably deceased already at the time.
The Jugyu-zu is recorded in the third month of the second year of Eitoku (1382) in the Kuge-nichiyo-kufu-ryakushu and is accompanied with the autographic words by Muso Kokushi. This is a Zen painting consisting of a series of ten having its origin in China.
According to another document Inryo-ken-nichiroku Saihoji was once decorated with a picture of carps by the artist called I which was later remounted as four kakemonos. Two of these works and a pair of Arhat paintings were submitted for the inspectiorh of the eighth Shogun Yoshimasa in the fourth month ot the second year of Chokyo (1488). Prof. Sawamura believes the artist I to be the same person as Shui with which supposition the present writer is in agreement. Moreover, the latter, surmises with diffidence that the pair of Arhat paintings might have also been by the same artist, Shui--for the name of the artist is recorded as I--although the characters applied to the artist are not the same they are each pronounced as I. Thus, Shui is considered a professional artist-priest of the Zen sect and his pupil carried on the style of their preceptor. His work, therefore, must have been appreciated highly.
Lastly, his celebrated Portrat't of Muso Kokushi of Myochiin bears the signature of the artist but not accompanied with his seal. This is true of the works in the same category by different artist-priests among whom is Kakue (Pls. VIII & IX) the contemporary of Shui. These are the oldest extant paintings of the kind in Japan which bear only signatures but similar examples are also known in the China of that day.
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES
Pl. I (Color), II & III Panel Wall Paintings.
Color on wood.
Inside walls of Amida Hall.
Height: 29.7 cm.; length: 887.9 cm. Detail.
Wall behind Amida Trinity Altar.
Height: 175.8 cm.; length: 249.1 cm.
Inside walls of Amida Hall.
Height: 29.7 cm.;.length: 887.9 cm. Detail.
Fukiji Temple, Oita.
(See the article by Masuto Toyooka)
Pls. IV & V Portrait of Muso Kokushi, by Muto Shui (Japanese, the early fourteenth century).
Color on silk. Mounted as kakemono.
Myochiin Temple, Kyoto.
(See the article by Hajime Watanabe)
Pl. VI & VII Four landscapes (Cloud and Mountains, Autumn Fog, After Rain, Summer Moon), by Kogyo Terazaki (Japanese, 1866-1919).
Color on silk. Mounted as kakemono in two pairs.
Height: 131.3 cm.; width: 94.1 cm.
The Department of Education.
The present four landscapes were once shown at the Education Ministry's Art Exhibition held in 1909 when Kogyo was at the age of forty-three. Although Kogyo was more interested in the subject of historical events and in portrait study his versatility is also revealed in the present works which are among the earliest examples of this kind. As seen in them he adopted perspective and combined the outstanding features of traditional painting and his own personal style in which he was a faithful student of realism. The present landscapes, on the other hand, met the severe criticism of a certain group because they are similar to European painting in technique. These much disputed works, however, were acquired by the Department of Education and sent to the Japan-Great Britain Exhibition held in London in 1910. Thus, these landscapes are not only important in that they mark a change in Kogyo's artistic development but also in their tremendous influence on Japanese landscapes both ot the Meiji and Taisho eras.
Pls. VIII & IX Portrait of Hatto Kokushi, by Kakue (Japanese, the late thirteenth century).
Color on silk. Mounted as kakemono.
Height: 175.4 cm.; width: 87.8 cm.
Kokokuji, Wakayama.
The present portrait of Hatto Kokushi is as well known as that of Muso Kokushi by Shui (Pls. IV & V), both registered as National Treasures, because they are rare examples bearing the artist's signature (Cut on p. 27) among portraits of Zen priests of the early period. Hatto Kokushi (1219-1298), founded Kokokuji where the present portrait is preserved, in the sixth year of Seika (1262) after returning from Sung China where he had sojourned for five years (1249-1254).
On the upper part of the present work is found a eulogy dated the fifth year of Showa (1316) and written by Priest I-shan who came to Japan and died in Nanzenji, Kyoto, in the first year of Bumpo (1317). The name of the artist, Kakue, however, is not found in any books on art and artists published in modern times except a topography of Wakayama province compiled towards the end of the Meiji era. In the latter Kakue is recorded as a pupil of Hatto Kokushi, which may be true in reference to the relationship between Shui and Muso Kokushi whom Shui portrayed (Pls. IV & V). It also seems that Kakue was pessibly the senior of Shui judging from the fact that Hatto Kokushi (d. 1293) was outlived by Muso Kokushi (d. 1351) by fifty-three years.
As compared with these two portraits the one of Muso Kokushi is a bust done in a rather simple and graceful manner but the one of Hatto Kokushi shows him in full dress and seated on a chair. The draperies are drawn with heavy lines in ink and the designs of the garments are richly embellished noticeably in gold and deep blue. The differences which distinguish them are probably due to the different purposes for which these portraits were made. The heaviness in style is, of course, based on Sung and Yuan painting but the gradual disappearance of the detailed technique is detected in the present work and the noble atmosphere which permeates the present portrait is incomparably superior to the works of the same kind of the latter periods. The present state of this masterpiece in which the pigment has become much exfoliated is to be much deplored.