The age when aristocratic culture blossomed and emaki were born

• National culture
• Mappō
• Insei (cloistered rule)

1. 1052

   The arrival of the Final Dharma

   The year 1052 was seen as the start of the Final Dharma (mappō), and Pure Land faith spread. Anxiety about the afterlife gave rise to scrolls depicting hell and hungry ghosts.

   • Jigokusōshi (Anji-in)
   • Jigokusōshi (Masuda)
   • Gakisōshi (Kawamoto)
2. 1098

   The Tale of Genji in pictures

   Courtly tales such as The Tale of Genji were lovingly transcribed into painted scrolls—the culmination of national culture.

   • Genji Monogatari EmakiComing soon
3. 1124

   The Ōtemmon Incident depicted

   A masterpiece of pictorial storytelling that dramatizes the court intrigue of the Ōtemmon Incident (866).

   • Ban Dainagon EkotobaComing soon
4. 1140

   Satirical play in the insei age

   The elegant wit of aristocratic society produced caricatures of animals behaving like humans—often called Japan's oldest manga.

   • Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga (all 4 scrolls)
   • Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga (Kō)
5. 1177

   Recording annual court events

   The refined ceremonies of the court were preserved as painted records, showing the splendor of the insei age.

   • Nenchū Gyōji EmakiComing soon

The rise of the warrior class and the spread of Buddhism to the people

• Kamakura shogunate
• Warrior culture
• Popular Buddhism

1. 1213

   Diaries become scrolls

   Court diaries and the tale of the priest-poet Saigyō were turned into emaki and passed down.

   • Murasaki Shikibu Nikki EmakiComing soon
   • Saigyō Monogatari EmakiComing soon
2. 1250

   The kusōzu begin

   The Buddhist idea of impermanence produced kusōzu—scrolls depicting a body's decay in nine stages, made for contemplation.

   • Kusōzu (all ten stages)
   • Kusōzu Maki
3. 1293

   Remembering the Mongol invasions

   After the invasions of 1274 and 1281, the court preserved the memory of the crisis in painted records.

   • Mōko Shūrai EkotobaComing soon
4. 1326

   City folk on scroll

   The lives of a painter and a townsman in the capital were depicted with wit—the subjects of emaki expanded.

   • Eshi no Sōshi
   • Naomoto Moshibumi EkotobaComing soon

Zen culture flourished while memories of war remained on scrolls

• Northern & Southern courts
• Zen Buddhism
• Ink painting

1. 1347

   Memories of battle

   The Gosannen War (1083–87) was retold as a battle scroll, kept alive through an age of war.

   • Gosannen Kassen EmakiComing soon
2. 1351

   Warriors turning to faith

   In turbulent times, scrolls were made depicting warriors' devotion to Buddhism.

   • Boki EkotobaComing soon
3. 1450

   Kusōshi scrolls

   The kusōzu gained accompanying poems, giving rise to kusōshi scrolls that unite painting and literature.

   • Kusōshi Emaki

The splendor of Momoyama culture gave rise to craft-like scrolls blending calligraphy and painting

• Momoyama culture
• Tea ceremony
• Rinpa

1. 1602

   Kōetsu & Sōtatsu

   Hon'ami Kōetsu's calligraphy and Tawaraya Sōtatsu's underdrawing come together, expressing the decorative beauty that would continue from Momoyama into Edo.

   • Tsuru no Shita-e Waka KanComing soon

Town culture flourished, and records and faith were painted onto scrolls

• Town culture
• Ukiyo-e
• Kusōzu revival

1. 1700

   Kusōzu revival

   Classical themes were reborn as Edo-period Buddhist paintings, modeled on Danrin Kōgō and Ono no Komachi.

   • Kusōzu (all ten stages)
   • Danrin Kōgō Kusōkan
   • Ono no Komachi Kusōzu
2. 1800

   Daily life in Edo

   Fire brigades, festivals, and wedding processions—the vitality of the city was recorded in scrolls.

   • Chinka Anshin ZukanComing soon
   • Edo no HanaComing soon
   • Kanda FestivalComing soon
   • Tokugawa Tane-hime Bridal ProcessionComing soon
   • Dōjōji EmakiComing soon
3. 1855

   The Ansei earthquake

   A scroll recording the damage of the great earthquake of 1855 preserves the city's memory of disaster.

   • Ansei Earthquake ScrollComing soon

While absorbing Western influence, the tradition of emaki was carried on

• Civilization & Enlightenment
• Ukiyo-e legacy
• Modern painting

1. 1880

   A ukiyo-e artist's kusōzu

   Kobayashi Eitaku painted a kusōzu modeled on a modern courtesan, carrying Edo sensibilities into Meiji.

   • Kusōzu (all ten stages)
   • Kusōzu (Kobayashi Eitaku)
2. 1890

   Landscapes and tales

   Themes of ukiyo-e—the Tōkaidō road and the realm of suffering—were painted onto scrolls for a new age.

   • Tōkaidō Fifty-three StationsComing soon
   • Shuradō EmakiComing soon
   • Nekkoku no MakiComing soon