Two finely illustrated handscrolls on paper depicting the great Zenkōji Temple earthquake of 8 May 1847 & its aftermath
Fine paintings in black & white and color washes. Scrolls (230 x 8640; 230 x 7530 mm.), silk outer endpapers at front of each scroll, wooden rollers. [Japan: after 1847].
The great Zenkōji Temple earthquake, which occurred in the evening of 8 May 1847, had tragic consequences. That very evening, the temple, in the center of the city of Nagano, drew large numbers of pilgrims celebrating the Gokaichō 御開帳 festival. The enormous earthquake struck at 9:30 pm, killing thousands of residents and pilgrims and destroying many houses in Nagano. The earthquake had continued consequences, causing large landslides, which dammed active rivers. These temporary earthen dams eventually gave way and resulted in terrible flooding with further loss of life and property damage.
Our scrolls vividly depict the event and its aftermath. The first scene of the first scroll shows the enormous grounds of the Zenkōji and its complex of buildings. In the next scene, we see the actual earthquake, with guests fleeing collapsing buildings and tremendous winds. This is followed by a series of small scenes of terror: people trying to maneuver in quicksand, people falling into newly formed crevices, flooding, fires, collapsed buildings with people trapped, emptied riverbeds caused by landslides, people giving clothes and bedding to survivors, etc.
Throughout both scrolls, there are religious images as well, as if to remind the survivors of this catastrophe that there is a better life ahead of them.
There are also vivid scenes of fires, suddenly homeless pilgrims preparing to sleep on the ground with conflagrations in the background, money being given out to support the newly impoverished, soup kitchens preparing mountains of rice and enormous rice balls with large caldrons boiling away filled with rice porridge, crowds of survivors, a still-standing hotel tending to its guests, pilgrims crossing rivers on boats, pilgrims resting, scenes of the surrounding landscapes, a very vivid scene of a dammed river giving way, a valley completely flooded, survivors of the flood, etc.
At the end of the second scroll, we find statistics of the number of deaths in the region listed by village.
Fine condition. Preserved in a wooden box.
The great Zenkōji Temple earthquake, which occurred in the evening of 8 May 1847, had tragic consequences. That very evening, the temple, in the center of the city of Nagano, drew large numbers of pilgrims celebrating the Gokaichō 御開帳 festival. The enormous earthquake struck at 9:30 pm, killing thousands of residents and pilgrims and destroying many houses in Nagano. The earthquake had continued consequences, causing large landslides, which dammed active rivers. These temporary earthen dams eventually gave way and resulted in terrible flooding with further loss of life and property damage.
Our scrolls vividly depict the event and its aftermath. The first scene of the first scroll shows the enormous grounds of the Zenkōji and its complex of buildings. In the next scene, we see the actual earthquake, with guests fleeing collapsing buildings and tremendous winds. This is followed by a series of small scenes of terror: people trying to maneuver in quicksand, people falling into newly formed crevices, flooding, fires, collapsed buildings with people trapped, emptied riverbeds caused by landslides, people giving clothes and bedding to survivors, etc.
Throughout both scrolls, there are religious images as well, as if to remind the survivors of this catastrophe that there is a better life ahead of them.
There are also vivid scenes of fires, suddenly homeless pilgrims preparing to sleep on the ground with conflagrations in the background, money being given out to support the newly impoverished, soup kitchens preparing mountains of rice and enormous rice balls with large caldrons boiling away filled with rice porridge, crowds of survivors, a still-standing hotel tending to its guests, pilgrims crossing rivers on boats, pilgrims resting, scenes of the surrounding landscapes, a very vivid scene of a dammed river giving way, a valley completely flooded, survivors of the flood, etc.
At the end of the second scroll, we find statistics of the number of deaths in the region listed by village.
Fine condition. Preserved in a wooden box.
Details
Title
Two finely illustrated handscrolls on paper depicting the great Zenkōji Temple earthquake of 8 May 1847 & its aftermath
Author
ZENKŌJI DAIJISHIN ZUMAKI 善光寺大地震図巻 [Zenkōji Temple, Tremendous Earthquake, Illustrated]
Condition
Unknown