Picture scrolls; Japanese manners and customs
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This series of four painted scrolls is an attempt to depict the everyday
life of Japanese people. The first two scrolls show the changing seasons
and the festivals that accompany them; essentially these scrolls are about
the outer forces affecting people's lives, the tragedies wrought by wind
and water, for example, the festivals inspired by Japan's religious and
cultural history, and the year end observances. The third scroll, titled
"The Lifetime of Man", depicts the joys and sorrows of life from birth
until death. The final scroll is one day in the life of a modern city
through the experience of a girl working in a typical Japanese office.
Throughout Japanese art history, picture scrolls have been a medium for the
telling of stories and the recording of important events. A number of very
early scrolls -such as the Tale of Genji picture scrolls (Item A-2-5-1) -
are still preserved and they are considered to be among Japan's greatest
artistic treasures. The scrolls in the capsule are in traditional format,
only the materials have been modified so as to make the scrolls durable for
5,000 years. The paper is ganpi washi (see page 17) specially made by
Naruko Saichiro; the pigments are dispersed in fine glass powder. Each
scroll is 30cm wide by 7.2m long. The scrolls were painted by Professor
Okumura Koichi of the Kyoto Municipal College of Fine Arts, with the
assistance of his students.
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