AN EXTREMELY RARE AND HIGLY IMPORTANT SET OF THREE... Lot n° 87

Painted by Imamura Zuigaku Yoshitsugu (died in 1793) Japan, dated 1780, Edo period (1615-1868) Three handscrolls, painted with ink, watercolors, and gold on paper, each with a silk brocade frame. The handscrolls are an old reproduction of the famous emaki painted by Hidanokami Korehisa in 1347, which is now an Important Cultural Property in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum and was itself a copy after the original emaki painted in 1171, which is now lost. They tell the story of a largescale battle over power between two samurai groups, Minamoto no Yoshiie and Kiyohara no Iehira during the Heian Period. Yoshiie, the governor of Mutsu, defeated the Kiyohara clan of Dewa by taking advantage of their inner conflict. Following the Zen Kunen no Eki (battles that took place in Oshu in the late Heian period), the Gosannen Kassen began in 1083 and ended in 1087 when Yoshiie seized Kanazawa-saku, a stronghold of Kiyohara no Iehira and others, subjugating the Oshu region. Scroll 1 (Vol. 1): SIZE 46 x 1,866 cm Scroll 2 (Vol. 2): SIZE 46 x 1,705 cm Scroll 3 (Vol.3): SIZE 46 x 1,964 cm Condition: Each scroll in a superb state of preservation with fresh colors, the scrolls were evidently stored well and only very rarely opened. Some minor non-distracting surface wear, little soiling and creasing, few minuscule losses and tears. Provenance: From an old French private collection. The present set of scrolls are faithfully copied from the Gen-e version in the Tokyo National Museum, the scenes and calligraphy being an exact match other than the dating and inscription on the third scroll: 安永九年庚子八月、今村 随學甫紹寫 “An’ei kyunen kanoe-ne hachigatsu, Imamura Zuigaku Yoshitsugu utsusu” [Copied and painted by Imamura Zuigaku Yoshitsugu, in the 8th month of the year of Kanoe-ne, An’ei 9th year (1780)]. Imamura Zuigaku Yoshitsugu (died in 1793). His year of birth is unknown. The artist first studied under Kano Zuisen Yoshinobu 狩野随川甫信 (1692-1745), thus inheriting the two characters 随 (zui) and 甫 (yoshi ) from his master. Then Imamura Zuigaku studied further under Kano Josen Yukinobu 狩野常川幸信 (1717-1770). These Kano painters were the second and third generation heads of the Hamamachi line of the Kano School respectively. In Meiwa 4 (1767), Imamura Zuigaku was appointed an official painter to the Owari Domain, one of the Three Houses of the Tokugawa (The Tokugawa Gosanke 徳川御三家). Imamura Zuigaku painted an emaki scroll of the Heiji Monogatari (平治物語絵巻 ), copied from an earlier edition. It is known that this Heiji Monogatari scroll was painted in 1781 (Tenmei 1) for Tokugawa Munechika (1733-1800, ruled 1761-1799), the 9th generation Daimyo of the Owari Domain. Therefore, most likely the present set of highly important emaki scroll paintings were commissioned by imperial decree for Tokugawa Munechika. Additionally, there is a dating on the colophon corresponding to the 10th month of 1701 (Genroku 14). The reason for this is that Lady Ryoshoin (Tokugawa Ieyasu’s daughter,1565-1615) was in possession of a set of Gosannen War Scroll. However over the years the scrolls (Lady Ryoshoin’s scroll treasure) were damaged. In Genroku 14 (1701), her scrolls were restored in Kyoto. The emperor inspected the scrolls and praised them. The exterior of each scroll applied with an old paper label showing the title (The Chronicle of the Later Three-Year War) and which volume it is. Literature comparison: The emaki by Hidanokami Korehisa dated 1347 (the ‘Gen-e version’), the oldest one among existing picture scrolls on the Gosannen Kassen, is an Important Cultural Property in the