The Painting “Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace”

In Japanese history, the Kamakura period, which lasted from 1192 to 1333, was credited with solidifying the foundations of feudalism. It was given the name of the city in which Minamoto Yoritomo established the military government’s headquarters. A visual documentation of the Heiji Rebellion and its leading characters was provided by the painting “Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace.” Future generations will be able to gain insight into this important time in Japan’s history because of the engaging preservation of historical evidence. To preserve the events of the Heiji Rebellion and to further understand its wider significance in Japanese emaki tradition, this essay examines the historical and cultural relevance of the handscroll “Night Attack on the Sanjo Place,” which dates back to the Kamakura period.

The artwork depicted a burning village with people attempting to flee. Sharp lines, vivid colours, and an intriguing composition of the event allowed the “Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace” to effectively depict the thunderous events of the Heiji Rebellion while retaining the usage of a limited palette of colours. For example, it became clear from closely studying the artwork that the painter had exclusively utilized warm, deep reds, such as maroon, and blue-grey, which together enabled the dramatic spread of fire to be created. The event was dominated by billowing clouds of smoke and swirling flames. Furthermore, the painter was able to depict the surrounding scenery, armour, horse fur, and skin tone by using hues like charcoal black, copper orange, and ecru beige. [1]The buildings on the Heiji handscroll were depicted from above at a sharp angle, just like in earlier Heian and Kamakura scrolls. Moreover, quick and forceful brushstrokes were employed to enhance the artwork’s impact.

“The customs of the earlier Heian Period were greatly influenced by paintings from the Kamakura period.”[2] The great majority of the paintings from the Heian and Kamakura periods were created by nameless artists because they were mostly religious. Paintings of mandalas were popular, and many of them were made as murals and hanging scrolls for temple walls. Paintings were used to adorn folding screens and sliding doors. Furthermore, the emaki painting format, which consists of lengthy hand scrolls with illustrations, continued to be popular. During the Kamakura Period, a great deal of emaki were produced; these were typically illustrated novels that were religious, historical, or in the style of the previous Heian period. Using dramatic graphic elements like billowing smoke, swirling flames, and soldiers engaged in combat, the artist skillfully depicted the course of events and crafted a compelling narrative experience. The story’s emotional effect was further increased by the use of colour and brushwork, which immersed viewers in the historical events that were being portrayed.

The Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace had a physical and psychological impact that was difficult to duplicate by any other battle image. This thirteenth-century depiction of a legendary episode from a century earlier was found on a hand scroll, known in Japan as an emaki, a common format for East Asian paintings. A style of painting masterwork was represented by the Heiji handscrolls. Although nobility reported seeing them in the fourteenth century, when they were recorded as priceless treasures, they had only remained in fragmented form.

Because it illustrated the historical background of the Heiji Rebellion, the Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace was typical in the emaki tradition. The handscroll offered insight into the Heiji rebellion’s developing historical context and, more importantly, offered important evidence about their way of life and culture. The first handscroll, from Sanjō Palace, demonstrated the range of military classes and the ferocity of the Heian period’s conflicts. The work as a whole attested to the mounted archer’s continued prominence over infantrymen for the samurai of the 12th century, as evidenced by the makimono’s extremely realistic depictions of weapons and armour. Historical memory was preserved in part because of the realistic portrayal of the events surrounding the Heiji uprising. It made it possible for future generations to learn about and recognize this significant era in Japanese history.

“Cultural context states that the handscroll provided a visual record of the Heian period’s social environment by showing their armor, clothing, and architectural process.”[3] This helped to provide a thorough grasp of the visual culture and artefacts of the Heian period. The artwork matched a distinctive style of Japanese visual storytelling, in keeping with the Emaki tradition. It illustrated the value of emaki as a cultural representation and showed how creative creations gradually changed from the Heian to the Kamakura periods.

In conclusion, the “Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace” handscroll provided a compelling history of the artistic creations, history, and culture of medieval Japan. Its significance had historical and cultural dimensions in addition to being limited to being a straightforward representation of the Heiji Rebellion. It also occupied a unique and important place in the emaki tradition, serving as a bridge between the Heian and Kamakura periods’ creative contexts.

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Bibliography

Hurst III, G. Cameron. “The Heian Period.” A companion to Japanese history (2007): 30-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470751398

Mostow, Joshua S., Norman Bryson, and Maribeth Graybill. Gender and Power in the Japanese Visual Field. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2003.

Murase, Miyeko. “Japanese screen paintings of the Hōgen and Heiji insurrections.” Artibus Asiae (1967): 193-228. https://doi.org/10.2307/3250273

Varley, Paul. Japanese culture. University of Hawaii Press, 2000.

[1] Murase, Miyeko. “Japanese screen paintings of the Hōgen and Heiji insurrections.” Artibus Asiae (1967): 193-228. https://doi.org/10.2307/3250273

[2] Hurst III, G. Cameron. “The Heian Period.” A companion to Japanese history (2007): 30-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470751398

[3] Varley, Paul. Japanese culture. University of Hawaii Press, 2000.

[4] Mostow, Joshua S., Norman Bryson, and Maribeth Graybill. Gender and Power in the Japanese Visual Field. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2003.