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Picture scrolls; Japanese manners and customs
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.