Illustrated Scroll of the Life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Illustrated Scroll of the Life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune

This picture scroll is based on the Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike), vol. 12 and the Gikeiki (The Life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune), Vol. 4 (On Tosanobo's Attack on Yoshitsune). Ordered by Yoshitomo to kill Yoshitsune, Tosanobo goes up to Kyoto. However, he incurs the suspicion of Eda Genzo, Yoshitsune's retainer, and is captured by Benkei, Yoshitsune's most trusted lieutenant. Although he is subjected to severe questioning, he successfully talks his way out, vowing that he has no intention of harming Yoshitsune. Late in the night of the same day, Tosanobo storms into Yoshitsune's pavilion and again gets caught, this time by Yoshitsune, his wife Shizuka Gozen, Benkei and others. Defiantly declaring that he has no fear of dying for Yoritomo, Tosanobo is executed on the Rokujo river beach in Kyoto. Unlike the usual run of picture scrolls, this one has two or three pictures for each of the narrative chapters - a very interesting development in the history of Japanese picture scrolls. The painter of the scroll is Tosa Mitsunari(1647-1710), a court painter, as is clear from his signature and seal at the end.（「The Rise of Pre-Modern Picture Scrolls」1997)