Scene from “Imperial Visit to Rokuhara,” from The Tale of the Heiji Rebellion (Heiji monogatari)

Japan

Not on view

The Tale of the Heiji Rebellion tells the story of a short civil war (1159–60) fought in Kyoto between two rival clans, headed by the warriors Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Taira no Kiyomori. The “Imperial Visit to Rokuhara” chapter deals with the escape of Emperor Nijō and his empress consort from the imperial palace, where they had been kept in captivity by the Minamoto clan, and their move to Kiyomori’s residence in the Rokuhara district. The Taira forces managed to smuggle the emperor out of the palace disguised as a lady-in-waiting. The dynamic composition and detailed depiction of the warriors suggest the tense atmosphere during the upheaval.

Scene from “Imperial Visit to Rokuhara,” from The Tale of the Heiji Rebellion (Heiji monogatari), Handscroll segment mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan

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Scene from “Imperial Visit to Rokuhara,” from The Tale of the Heiji Rebellion (Heiji monogatari), Handscroll segment mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Scene from “Imperial Visit to Rokuhara,” from The Tale of the Heiji Rebellion (Heiji monogatari), Handscroll segment mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, Japan

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