Oumi Hakkei　近江八景

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Lit. eight views of Oumi. An early and famous Japanese version of the eight views, or *hakkei 八景. According to one tradition, in 1500, Regent Konoe Masaie 近衛政家 (1444-1505) and his son Hisamichi 尚通 (1472-1544), while visiting Oumi 近江 province, near Kyoto, wrote eight Japanese style poems waka 和歌 describing famous scenes around the western shore of Lake Biwa 琵琶. However, Masaie's extant diary makes no mention of such a visit nor the poems. Most scholars today consider a calligraphy by Konoe Nobutada 近衛信尹 (1565-1614) Oumi Hakkei-zu jigasan 近江八景図自画賛 in the collection of Enman-in 円満院 as the earliest record of what is now known as the standard "eight views", each with its famous accompanying poem. The other main inspiration for Oumi Hakkei lies in the painting tradition of Scenes of famous places *meisho-e 名所絵 with poetry that refers to, or accompanies such depictions. Six of Nobutada's eight locations are known from records to have been depicted on folding screens of "Famous Places of Oumi", including one variation known as Yuki-no-kuni 悠紀の国 a screen scenes that have been used at least from the early 11c, primarily at Daijou-e 大嘗会 Harvest ceremonies which marked each imperial succession. See *Daijou-e byoubu 大嘗会屏風. Records from as early as the 15c also mention waka and Chinese style poems about various sites in Oumi or around Lake Biwa that refer to the concert of "eight". Although a few paintings extant from the late 16c or early 17c represent Oumi in eight views, not until the 1670 handscroll by Kaihou Yuusetsu 海北友雪 (Tokiwabunko collection) can we find a work referred to as "Eight Views of Oumi" that shows all the standard sites of Nobutada's selection. However from the late 17c these eight became the norm and were then depicted by a variety of Edo period artists, including members of the Kanou and Tosa schools *Kanouha 狩野派, *Tosaha 土佐派, as well as by *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 artists such as Andou Hiroshige 安藤広重 (1797-1858). The eight views of Oumi are: "Evening Snow at Mt Hira" Hira no bosetsu 比良暮雪, "Descending Geese at Katada" Katada no rakugan 堅田落雁, "Night Rain at Karasaki" Karasaki no yau 唐崎夜雨, "Evening Bell at Miidera" Mii no banshou 三井晩鐘, "Sunset Glow at Seta River" Seta no sekishou 瀬田夕照, "Clearing Mist at Awazu" Awazu no seiran 粟津晴嵐, "Returning Sails at Yabase" Yabase no kihan 矢橋帰帆 and "Autumn Moon at Ishiyamadera" Ishiyama no shuugetsu 石山秋月. Although not irrefutable proof, several later Edo period documents give Nobutada as the originator of this selection and of the poems. Whoever the author, the selection clearly is based on the well-known Chinese poems and paintings of the "eight views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers" (Jp: *Shoushou Hakkei 瀟湘八景). Mt Hira 比良, the Seta river, and the Miidera 三井寺 and Ishiyamadera 石山寺 all have famous stories associated with them, that are also alluded to in the imagery of the poems. Painted depictions in turn usually echo the poems to show Mt Hira covered with snow, geese alighting near a pavilion at Katada, a pine in the rain at Karasaki, Miidera at night, the Chinese style bridge at Seta, boats at Yabase, and the moon-viewing pavilion at Ishiyamadera where Murasaki Shikibu 紫式部 is said to have composed GENJI MONOGATARI 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji).

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