Academic literature on the topic 'Nara ehon'

There are currently numerous manga adaptations of Japanese literary classics of the Heian period. Many of them have been created for educational purpose. It is debatable, however, whether they truly serve such a purpose. In this paper, I will discuss the case of Taketori monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, beginning of 10th century). Like all present-day adaptations of ancient texts, manga versions of Taketori monogatari differ significantly from its premodern counterparts. In this paper, I will examine the adaption of the theme, representations of the characters Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-hime) and the bamboo cutter, and manners in which Taketori monogatari metamorphosed into Kaguya-hime over time and when this metamorphosis occurred. Comparing manga representations with premodern versions, I will argue that government-sanctioned textbooks that began to be published in the early twentieth century have played some role in the transformation because they share common characteristics with the modern version Kaguya-hime. In addition, I will compare manga versions to Nara-emaki and Nara-ehon (picture scrolls and picture books produced between the late Muromachi and Edo periods). Comparing these premodern sources with modern manga will help us see some of the differences in the ways the tale has been adapted over the centuries and to consider some of the factors that contributed to new interpretations.

The present article illustrates the advantages of digital humanities to unearth new understandings, in this case of the Pre-Modern Japanese visual culture. Precisely, this article serves three purposes. Firstly, it is a guide to digital methods for size analysis in visual studies. Secondly, this study proposes a survey of the collection of nara-ehon manuscripts of yoko-hon format from the “Digital Collections of the Keio University Libraries”. Thirdly, I present my study of perspective in Pre-Modern Japanese images, which have been puzzling scholars. Indeed, the size of characters painted on the images varies greatly. Yet, these fluctuations in measurements are not used to illusorily transform a two-dimensional space into a three-dimensional one. The image composition and the varying sizes of characters do not create any spatial depth. Unfortunately, creating a systematic study of this visual conundrum was difficult prior to the rise of digital humanities, leaving researchers only with hypothesises. With these new creative methods, and the measurements of 1040 characters extracted from 244 images, the system of perspective within Japanese images is now clearer. Pre-Modern Japanese images use a psychological perspective intricately informed by a play on social norms restricted by the materiality of the manuscripts.

Entre les années 1600 et 1750 au Japon, de nombreux manuscrits enluminés (Nara ehon et Nara emaki) ont été produits. Ils ont néanmoins fait l’objet d’assez peu de recherches. Cette thèse aborde ce genre en trois temps, à travers l’étude d’un récit, le « Récit de Bunshô » (Bunshô sôshi). Nous considérons d’abord le processus d’élaboration de ces œuvres. Peints par des artisans anonymes, les rouleaux et les codex enluminés sont parfois signés de leur calligraphe ou portent un sceau de boutique. Travaillant pour des boutiques concurrentes, calligraphes et peintres ne forment pas véritablement avec ces dernières un atelier. Les boutiques peuvent également agir comme les maîtres d’œuvre en coordonnant les peintres et les calligraphes. Il a été souvent dit que les rouleaux et les codex enluminés ont été élaborés pour faire partie de trousseaux de mariage (yomeiri-bon). En confrontant les sources historiques aux œuvres conservées, nous soulignons, dans la seconde partie, que cette affirmation est loin de se vérifier. Enfin, nous consacrons un développement à l’évolution de l’iconographie du Bunshô sôshi. Histoire de l’élévation sociale d’un saunier et romance amoureuse entre la fille de ce dernier et un aristocrate, le Bunshô sôshi comporte des scènes problématiques du point de vue de l’échelle sociale. Ces manuscrits comportent également des images spécifiques représentant le jeune héros aristocrate comme un personnage androgyne (wakashu), en combinaison avec des compositions génériques qui rappellent d’autres récits.Ce travail constitue une première synthèse des recherches sur ces rouleaux et livres enluminés en français
In the years between 1600 and 1750 AC, many anonymous illuminated handscrolls and manuscripts were produced in Japan, which are now collected under the name of Nara Ehon and Nara Emaki. Although they are very numerous, very few is known about them. This study is focused on those related to the tale of Bunshô (Bunshô sôshi) and proceeds in three steps.First, it examines the making process of these scrolls and manuscripts. Although the painters remained anonymous, a calligrapher's signature or the seal of a painting shop can sometimes be found. Calligrapher and painters could be working for several rival shops. Painting shops did not only sell painted scrolls or illuminated manuscripts, but worked the connections between the calligrapher and the painters as well.Then, our study reconsiders the place of illuminated scrolls and manuscripts in marriages' dowries, called yomeiri-bon. From what we know about marriages through historical sources and the surviving illuminated manuscripts, it can be stressed that very few manuscripts can be considered as yomeiri-bon.Finally, an analysis of Bunshô Sôshi's iconography throughout the years says a lot about how this tale was understood. As it tells about social ascension and how a saltmaker's daughter and an aristocrat lived a romance together, there is in this tale some problematic scenes, where the social scale is turned upside down. Also, specific compositions with an androgenic character (wakashu) as the hero are employed with more generic compositions echoing other stories as well.The present study represents a first extensive summary in French about those illuminated manuscripts