“Takebun,” from the Musical Drama “The New Piece” (“Shinkyoku”)

Japan

Not on view

These screens depict the “Takebun” episode of “The New Piece” (“Shinkyoku”), an example of the kōwakamai type of musical drama popular in the sixteenth century. Originally derived from a tragic episode from the fourteenth-century historical epic Taiheiki and later adapted into a Noh play, “Takebun” centers on the eponymous hero, the bravest and most loyal retainer of an imperial prince. In the right screen, Takebun, the repeated figure wearing a green robe, attempts to rescue the prince’s wife, who has been kidnapped by a samurai. Takebun ultimately fails to rescue the prince’s wife and thus commits ritual suicide, a scene depicted in the fifth panel from the right. The left screen depicts the events after Takebun’s suicide, when he is transformed into a vengeful spirit that takes the shape of crashing waves in an attempt to thwart the samurai’s progress.

“Takebun,” from the Musical Drama “The New Piece” (“Shinkyoku”), Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold and silver leaf on paper, Japan

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