Lot Essay
The "Royal Visit to Ohara" is a famous scene from the final chapter of the 13th century battle epic, the Tale of the Heike (see also lot ). The composition seen here is closely related to a single six-panel screen of the same subject in the Tokyo National Museum (Yamato-e kei jimbutsu in Nihon byobu-e shusei, Vol. 5 (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1979), pl. 45). Retired emperor GoShirakawa stands on the porch of a hermitage at Jakko-in, a nunnery in Ohara, due north of Kyoto. In May of 1186 he traveled with his large retinue to pay his respects to Kenreimon'in, mother of the child emperor Antoku, who perished at sea in the final battle between the warring Taira and Minamoto clans. The retired emperor is moved to tears at the sight of the nunnery, which has fallen into disrepair. Meanwhile Kenreimon'in and her former nurse, both now nuns, have been in the hills gathering firewood and flowers. They are shown descending a mountain path (at the center of the screen). The royal attendants are resting and watering their horses outside the gate of the nunnery.
This sentimental, courtly theme is paired with its opposite, a martial arts subject. The "Dog-chasing event" (inuomono) was also a popular theme in the 17th century. Dog-chasing first gained importance in the Kamakura period as a means of honing the archery and equestrian skills of the newly dominant warrior class and saw a resurgence of popularity after its revival in 1646. The target was a live dog. Archers wore special costumes including hat, sword and fur chaps. Their bows were extra-large, custom-made for the game, and the arrows were blunted with a turnip-shaped cover. They were supposed to aim at the dog's belly. The release of the dog - the preliminary stage of the game - is shown on the right. A dog handler stands at the center of the rope circle gripping the leash of the agitated dog. A team of mounted archers circles the rope enclosure. Then the dog is released and the archers break rank to chase it toward the scorekeeper's roofed enclosure. Contemporary genre details such as sumo wrestling add flavor to the endlessly fascinating details of everyday life that are featured around the edges of the screen.
This sentimental, courtly theme is paired with its opposite, a martial arts subject. The "Dog-chasing event" (inuomono) was also a popular theme in the 17th century. Dog-chasing first gained importance in the Kamakura period as a means of honing the archery and equestrian skills of the newly dominant warrior class and saw a resurgence of popularity after its revival in 1646. The target was a live dog. Archers wore special costumes including hat, sword and fur chaps. Their bows were extra-large, custom-made for the game, and the arrows were blunted with a turnip-shaped cover. They were supposed to aim at the dog's belly. The release of the dog - the preliminary stage of the game - is shown on the right. A dog handler stands at the center of the rope circle gripping the leash of the agitated dog. A team of mounted archers circles the rope enclosure. Then the dog is released and the archers break rank to chase it toward the scorekeeper's roofed enclosure. Contemporary genre details such as sumo wrestling add flavor to the endlessly fascinating details of everyday life that are featured around the edges of the screen.