Abstract
This painting has not been so famous before. This is, however, the important work of art in japanese art history, not to be able to find similar expression of "holiness" and "secularity" in another "Iwashimizu Shrine Mandala", and to be placed the date of production at the Middle Ages. The picture of this work, which shows the facade of Iwashimizu Shrine in a bird's-eye view, can be separated into one is "a consecrated ground" in the upper part and another is "a ground of secular affairs" in the lower part two parts by roof line of surrounding corridors and a two-storied gate. Therfore, the theme of this picture connect, on the one hand, with "Sinkou-ga" or "Reihai-ga" ("painting to belief" or "painting to worship") as "Suijaku-ga" (Paintings based upon the suijaku [Shinto-Buddhist unity] concept that Shinto divinities are manifestations [suijaku] of Buddhist ones and that Buddhist ones are their original forms [honji].) and, on the ather hand, with "Yagaiyuraku-zu" ("Pleasure out-of-doors painting") under the influence of "Tsukinami-e" ("Pictures of monthly subjects") As compared with "Yamato-e" in the kamakura era, this painting has bright and clear color tones, plain drawing lines and stylized decorative form. And on the various scenes of people's activities there are very real human figures whose faces and actions appeare to be funny and comical. Considering these characteristics of pictorial expression of this work, I've come to a decision that the date of its completion must be a period between the latter half of the Namboku-cho era and the first half of the Muromachi era.(the late 14th. C.〜the early 15th. C.)
