~ Namu Myohorengekyo ~

Cover Paintings

The paintings on the covers of this book depict St. Nichiren on a journey from Kamakura to Kyoto. At that time (1242) he was twenty-one years old and, having finished his study of Buddhism in Kamakura, was traveling to the Tendai monastic institution located on Mt. Hiei, the center of Buddhist learning in Japan.

The right-hand scene in the painting on the front cover depicts St. Nichiren leaving Kamakura. The left-hand scene illustrates his negotiation of the pass through the mountains at Hakone, an extremely difficult stretch of the Tokaido. Mt. Fuji appears very far away in this scene.

The right-hand scene in the painting on the rear cover pictures the Saint having crossed the Hakone Pass and proceeding to cross the Fuji River located in modern day Shizuoka Prefecture. Mt. Fuji can be seen to have grown much larger than in the previous scene. The left-hand scene illustrates the Saint, again moving west, crossing the Seta Bridge near Lake Biwa. Kyoto is located just over the next mountain range.

In these two examples we see how two scenes are included in one painting. The scenes progress from right to left and, at the same time, the passing of time is represented.

The painting of emakimono (picture scrolls) is an ancient, traditional art form in Japan which has been passed down from the Heian (794-1192) and Kamakura (1192-1333) periods. Emakimono are composed of a number of scenes illustrating narrative tales, biographies and so on to which corresponding textual descriptions are attached. Since they were originally made as makimono (scrolls), they were intended to be viewed from right to left; the left hand unrolling and the right re-rolling the scroll. Because this book is a bound version of a traditional emakimono its pages are not ordered in the traditional Western fashion. It is meant to be opened to the right and the scenes on each page are to be viewed from right to left. As each scene changes, time also passes. In one painting, two or three different times and/or places may be illustrated. Most scenes are divided by intervening mountains or trees and shrubs while some are separated by clouds or banks of mist. Each painting is also bordered by banks of mist at the top and bottom. This is a special characteristic of Tosa-e, a traditional painting school of the Yamato-e (painting styles of Japan).

In addition, the omission of a roof or ceiling in order to draw the viewer's eyes to a particular area of a scene is also a technique unique to the Tosa-e school. All the paintings contained in this book are executed in a gentle, graceful style, creating an overall presentation of refinement. This is also a special characteristic of Japanese painting schools.