Architecture, topographie et séquences du récit dans un rouleau illustré japonais du XIIIe siècle, le Taima mandata engi emaki

Abstract

Architecture, Topography and Sequences of the Narrative on a 13th century Japanese scroll, the Taima mandata engi emaki. In the mid-13th century, a method of composition appeared in Japanese narrative painting on scrolls : a large architectural complex, in which is situated a residential estate where a sequence of events takes place. The unfolding of the narrative, in which the successive events could have taken place at very different times, is organized both in the interior and the exterior of the residence, which assures both a spatial and topographical painted narrative. The Taima mandata engi emaki (« The Wonderful Story of the Origins of the Image of the Monastery of Taima ») is one of the first works which successfully presents this type of narrative. After proving the originality of this work, compared to earlier works which also incorporate architectural images, this article will examine the role that architecture plays in the elaboration of the narrative. In fact, the architecture assures the topographical unity of the narrative, its compositional organization and the isolation of successive events that follow one another. The architecture also distinguishes space and, further, when associated with other configurations, such as the representation of dress, it facilitates the identification of the individuals based on their situation within the complex.