There have been many illustrated handscrolls produced in Japan since ancient times. The painting format of handscrolls, like many other cultures, has originally been brought from China. The mountings of handscrolls are called kansu-sō. Kansu is a long strip of paper or silk formed by pasting a series of pieces together. Although the height of handscrolls is limited, their length can be as long as the story and its accompanied illustrations require. From the Heian period, many illustrated narrative handscrolls were created by alternating text and pictures.
Nezumi no sōshi, The Tale of the Rat, as shown here, is attributed to Tosa Mitsuyoshi. This handscroll is relatively small, which is known as ko-e (small painting), measuring 16cm in height and 4m 31cm in length. This handscroll depicts the popular tale of a rat in the form of a nobleman who marries a beautiful princess and lives happily ever after, only to be revealed as a rat and eaten by the family cat. It is an excellent example of Tosa Mitsunobu’s painting style.
A hand scroll, 15th century, Harvard Art Museum, Fiscal year of restoraion: 1998
