Explore the Historiographical value of this artwork.
In the historiography of Japanese religions, the original version of the Ippen Shōnin Eden (1299) is of inestimable value, as it is the earliest and most reliable of the biographies written about Ippen and the founding of the Ji-shū school, especially since its author, Shōkai, was a close relative and disciple of the monk. Testifying to a new Buddhist art under the Kamakura period, the work provides information on the architecture of many temples, and the religious practices of the time, in particular pilgrimages and nenbutsu, are well illustrated. The Yugyō Shōnin Engi-e, which reflects more the thought of Taa, the second patriarch of the school, than that of Ippen, is therefore rather centred on the early days of the history of Ji-shū. Beyond Buddhism, Japanese syncretism sometimes shines through, especially when Ippen honours Shinto shrines.An everyday art, Shōkai's original version of the emakimono also provides a detailed testimony to the daily life of medieval Japan, as well as to the landscapes of the time (notably offering one of the first pictorial views of Mount Fuji). Today, the work presents such invaluable insights that it is widely studied, as much by historians as by art historians."The theme of this work combines the biography with a framework imbued with popular life and landscapes, and both aspects are rendered with the realism characteristic of the Kamakura period. We are thus given not only a highly personalized portrait of Ippen, but also a contemporary picture of Japanese landscapes and its inhabitants."
Historians' studies focus on housing, clothing, food, travel, economic activities, rituals and social and cultural practices. As Ippen devoted his life to travelling, the urban as well as the rural aspect stands out. The swarming crowds in town are reminiscent of the art of ukiyo-e in the Edo period; one can find there, for example, one of the first representations of the shopping district of Osaka. The artist represents both the poor and the rich, focusing on beggars and the sick who sometimes litter the place, Ippen having preached to everyone. K. Satō sees in this the desire to "show us who were the people to whom Ippen really wanted to address" in medieval society: the downgraded, beggars and outcasts.The city and country paintings, teeming with busy people depicting the daily life of the Japanese people, foreshadow later Japanese genre painting, the best-known movement of which is ukiyo-e.
Kamakura period Buddhism Shōkai nenbutsu Ippen Edo period Osaka emakimono syncretism ukiyo-e Mount Fuji Shinto