The subject of this paper is the eight scrolls of The Illustrated Biography of Prince Shōtoku kept at Tachibana Temple in Asuka. Even though the scrolls are in an excellent state and painted in bright colors, the scrolls have rarely been studied. One explanation for this might be that scholars have dismissed the scrolls as a simple rearrangement of classical illustrated biographies of Prince Shōtoku. This study focuses on the composition and iconography of the Tachibana Temple scrolls. An analysis of its compositions reveals that the scrolls were based on the division of space based on diagonal lines from the Hōryū-ji Temple Panels of The Illustrated Biography of Prince Shōtoku. However, its traditional order was changed on purpose, breaking their uniformity and enriching the scenes. Since the iconography of the Tachibana Temple Scrolls closely resembles the scenes from Prince Shōtoku's Biography of the Hōryū-ji and Kōfuku-ji Temple versions, the author argues that the Nantō Edokoro (Nara Painting Atelier) of Kōfuku-ji Temple was involved in its creation. This atelier was intimately connected to Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince Shōtoku.

特集 : 林温教授 退職記念号