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Paper short abstract:

This paper will analyze a special feature of battle screens: their depiction of a moment in time. The example discussed is a screen in the collection of the Kono Museum of Art, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture. We will also discuss how the painting was influenced by the text of Genpei jōsuki.

Paper long abstract:

Picture scrolls and book illustrations depict Heike narratives along a time axis, while screen paintings make use of a single surface to illustrate multiple scenes of fighting occurring at different times. Some screens focus on the overall configuration of the armed men, others focus on individual warriors in battle, illustrating many episodes in a single space, often making use of a technique in which each episode is represented as a moment in time. In the Genpei Battle Screen in the collection of the Kono Museum of Art, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, each of the individual skirmishes between Heike and Genji warriors is depicted in a single scene. Episodes in printed books will often contain two illustrations, the first showing a Heike warrior in valiant combat and the second the scene of his defeat. By contrast, only one moment is depicted in the Genpei Battle Screen, one where a brave Heike warrior is fighting. The Heike are never depicted as inferior in this screen, which chooses not to show the death of any Heike warrior. Whereas the narrative text tells the story of the downfall of the Heike along a time axis, this screen portrays the momentary actions of individual Heike warriors just before their destruction. This presentation will discuss how this folding screen captures such moments in time. This screen also highlights the role of Taira no Noritsune in the battle, which suggests that the variant text Genpei jōsuki was a possible source.