bugaku-zu 舞楽図

Keywords
Art History
Painting

Paintings of *bugaku 舞楽, a classical Japanese court dance that sometimes used masks *bugakumen 舞楽面. The subject probably was painted first during the Heian period in narrative handscrolls *emaki 絵巻, or on screens *byōbu 屏風. Well-known examples include the 12th-century ink scroll entitled "Shinzei's Illustrations of Ancient Music," Shinzei kogaku-zu 信西古楽図, in the collection of the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and an Edo period color copy of the scroll by Tosa Mitsunobu 土佐光信 (1434-1525) entitled "Illustrations of Ancient Music of the Ōei era," Ōei kogaku-zu 応永古楽図, in the Tokyo National Museum. The oldest surviving work that presents bugaku as its main subject is the 13th-century painting (originally a standing screen *tsuitate shōji 衝立障子) in the Kitano Tenmangū 北野天満宮, Kyoto. Later, in the Momoyama and Edo periods, bugaku scenes were painted on screens by artists of various schools such as Tawaraya Sōtatsu 俵屋宗達 (?-1640?; Daigoji 醍醐寺, Kyoto) and Kusumi Morikage 久隅守景 (?-1642?; Nezu 根津 Museum, Tokyo).