The Enthronement Ceremony of Empress Meishō
Empress Meishō (1623-1696; reigned 1629-1643) ascended the throne at the age of eight, as the first empress to reign in Japan in 900 years. The details of this momentous historical event were faithfully documented by this artist, including the names of the attendants and the palace architecture.
Most Japanese folding screens are designed in sets of two or four. Sometimes they are united by a single composition, moving from right to left. Here, the scenes are complementary rather than continuous. The right screen portrays the actual enthronement rites. The left depicts an unidentified procession.
With John M. Crawford, New York City, by May 12, 1978;
His gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1978.
Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008) 390, no.36, (repro.).
Takeda Tsuneo, “Byōbu-ga,” Zaigai nihon no shihō, Vol. 4 (Tokyo: Mainichi shinbunsha, 1980) 147, pl. 103-105, (repro.).
Takeda Tsueno, “Tōfukumon'in: Kan'ei bunka sōzō no ushirodate,” Nihon o tsukutta hitobito, Vol. 17 (Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1980) 6-7, (repro.).
Asia Society, Archives of Asian Art, Vol. XXXIII (New York: Asian Society, 1980) 123, fig. 26, (repro.).
Nakamachi Keiko, Nihon byōbue shūsei, Vol. 12 (Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1980) 109-112, pl. 1,2,4,5, (repro.).
