Man and Woman in Ise monogatari-e: Scene Selection in the First Half of the Seventeenth Century

Abstract

Ise monogatari has, long been recognized as one of classics of Japanese literature. The earliest surviving examples of Ise monogatari-e are from Kamakura period, Ise monogatari emaki in collection of Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts in Izumi and Bonjikyō zuri Ise monogatari emaki which is scattered among several private collections. This chapter focuses on examples from first half of seventeenth century, considering them in terms of how the intimate which consists of private relations between men and women is depicted. First, relationships between individuals depicted in works are considered. Second, nature of intimate sphere of period in which work is created must be clarified by social historians or historians of family. The relationships depicted in Ise monogatari-e occurred, however, before Nijō Empress married and are love affairs. Keywords: Ise monogatari-e ; Izumi; Japanese literature; Kamakura period; Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts