Paper short abstract:

Among the many Genpei battle screens produced in the late sixteenth or seventeenth century, some are highly likely to have been owned by powerful daimyō. By comparing screens in the Uwajima and Kono collections, this paper casts light on early-modern buke reception of Heike monogatari.

Paper long abstract:

Genpei kassenzu byōbu are folding screens that depict famous battle scenes from Heike monogatari. The six-fold screen in the collection of the British Museum is a well known example, but many very similar works are extant in Japan, very often combining the Battle of Ichi-no-tani with the Battle of Yashima, as in the British Museum screen. Produced mainly from the late sixteenth and the seventeenth century, such screens are fairly faithful visualizations of episodes from Heike monogatari and generally based on the orally recited text of the narrative. The Genpei battle screens currently classified as belonging to the same family as the British Museum version are a six-fold screen owned by Chishakuin Temple in Kyoto, and pairs of six-fold screens owned respectively by Tenshinji Temple in Tokyo, the Kono Museum in Imabari, and the Uwajima Date Culture Preservation Society. Although all these Genpei gassen byōbu have the same composition, there are some differences in which episodes are depicted. Some of the narrative scenes included cannot be fully explained with reference only to texts of Heike monogatari. The Uwajima version was painted by Kano Kōho, a painter in the service of the Kishū domain, making it is highly likely that its owner was a powerful feudal lord. Through a comparison of the Uwajima and Kono battle screens, this paper will cast light on various aspects of the reception of Heike monogatari by buke society during the early modern period.