Kokon chomon jū 古今著聞集 [Recueil des traditions de jadis et de maintenant]
Encre, Papier
Manuscrit
l. 22.5 x L. 16 cm
Legs : Cernuschi, Henri
M.C. 4738
Compiled in 1254 by an official, Tachibana no Narisue, the Kokon chomon jū is a collection of anecdotes (setsuwa) presented in chronological order and arranged by theme, which provides a glimpse of popular beliefs and customs in Japan in the Heian period (794-1185).
This 20-volume edition in the “Nara ehon” (Nara picture book) format contains illustrations in the Yamato-e (“Japanese image”) style of painting, a genre that emerged in the Heian era and that contrasted with the Chinese painting (Kara-e) style, which was often inspired by literature and poetry. These 76 illustrated pages feature Yamato-e style techniques, notably the fukinuki yatai (“blown-off roof”) technique, which reveals the interior of noblemen’s homes, or the hikime kagibana technique for the faces, depicted with two straight lines for the eyes and a hooked line for the nose.
These bird’s-eye-view compositions, constructed around numerous parallel diagonals, often evoke the characters’ feelings. They are characterised by bands of clouds (kasumi) executed with the kirikane technique – employing small pieces of gold foil cut into different shapes or gold powder – to suggest changes of place and time.
