← Explore on the interactive map

Emaki Scroll Art

Type Object Region Asia Time c. 1000–1300

Emaki (picture scrolls) were a horizontal scroll painting form popular from the Heian to the Kamakura period, exemplified by the Genji Monogatari Ema…

Timeline

  1. c. 1000–1100Heian-kyō · Yamashiro ProvinceIn the 10th and 11th centuries, Yamato-e absorbed Tang style and native aesthetics, forming the emaki format of segmented narrative on horizontal scrolls, which, paired with waka and monogatari texts, became an important medium of visual culture for the court aristocracy.
  2. c. 1141–1150Rokujō area of Heian-kyō · Yamashiro ProvinceIn the 1140s, masterpieces such as the Genji Monogatari Emaki were created or circulated; painters used bird's-eye composition, the "hikime kagibana" spatial convention, and vivid colors to depict court life and Buddhist stories, bringing emaki art to its zenith.
  3. c. 1145–1150Mount Hiei and Heian-kyō · JapanIn the 1140s emaki divided into two parallel types: monogatari-e (such as the Ise Monogatari Emaki) and engi-e (such as the Shigisan Engi); the former depicted the emotional world of the aristocracy, while the latter served temple and shrine promotion and faith narratives.

Sources