Report on the Results of “Systematization of Nonwritten Cultural Materials
for the Study of Human Societies” Kanagawa University 21st Centur y COE Program

Multilingual Version ofPictopedia of Everyday Lifein Medieval Japan
compiled from picture scrolls, vol.1
Original version compiled by SHIBUSAWA Keizo, Institute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture, Kanagawa University
Multiligual version translated and edited by Kanagawa University 21st Century COE Program Group 1“Systematization of Illustrated Materials and its Dissemination”

The Kanagawa University 21st Century COE Program Center

Editors
John BOCCELLARIKIM Jeong Ah
KIMI Yasumichi
MAEDA Yoshihiko
SUZUKI Akira
Translators
Ruth S.McCREERY (overview, 54-63)
NAKAI Maki (1-38, 45-47, 64-98)
ITANI Yoshie (39-44)
Trinh Pompili KHANH (48-53)
Timothy COLEMAN (99-162)
The Kanagawa University 21st Century COE ProgramGroup1 “Systematization of Illustrated Materials and its Dissemination”
John BOCCELLARI (Program Representative)
CAI Wengao (Research Collaborater)
FUKUTA Ajio (Program Representative)
KIKUCHI Isao (Joint Senior Researcher)
KIMI Yasumichi (Joint Senior Researcher)
KIM Jeong Ah (COE Lecturer)
NAKAMURA Hiroko (COE Professor)
NISHI Kazuo (Program Representative)
MAEDA Yoshihiko(Program Representative)
SASAKI Makoto (Joint Senior Researcher)SUZUKI Akira (Research Collaborater)
SUZUKI Yoichi (Program Representative)
TAJIMA Yoshiya (Program Representative)

First Published in 2008
c 2008 The Kanagawa University 21st Century COE program○All rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN 978-4-9903017-4-3

contents

Explanatory Notes to the Original Edition
Explanatory Notes to the English Edition
Introduction to the English Editioniii
iii
1Senmen koshakyō
Senmen koshakyō Overview
1 Uchigi and Kinukazuki
2 Female Travel Attire
3 Laundry
4 Bleached Cloth, Apron
5 Hitoe, Plank Well
6 Washing Hair, Washing Object
7 Well
8 By the Well
9 By the Well
10 By the Well, Thunder
11 Noisemaker
12 Bird Trap
13 Chestnut Picking
14 Oxcart
15, 16 Shop
17 Children’s Play
18 Children’s Play
19 Kamisogi20 Bird Cage
21 God of the Crossroad, Shrine Functionary

56789101112131415161718192025
26272829Ban Dainagon ekotoba
Ban Dainagon ekotoba Overview
22 Sleeping Quarters
23 Taka-ashida, Long-handled Umbrella
24 Clothing of Ordinary People
25 Clothing of Ordinary People
26 Clothing of Ordinary People
27 Clothing of Ordinary People
28 Clothing of Ordinary People
29 Clothing of Ordinary People
30 Flint Sack

32
333435363738
39404131 Torch32 Shouldering, Carrying on One’s Back
33 Man Shouldering Luggage and Hitai-eboshi
34 Fight
35 Ways of Sitting
36 Oxherd and Servants
37 Prayer
38 Dogs

424344454647
48
49

Chōjū gigaChojū giga Overview
39 Large Umbrella, Sedge Hat, and Straw Sandals
40 Woman’s Travel Attire, Round Fan
41 Kazuki, Straw Mat
42 Floor Covering
43 Fruits
44 Sake Pot
45 Sake Pot, Sake Holder
46 Long Chest
47 Buddhist Rosary, Headwear
48 Sugoroku Board
49 Binzasara
50 Crawling, Sitting
51 Cart52 People Pulling a Rope
53 Transporting a Log
54 Go55 Sugoroku
56 Musashi
57 Staring Contest, Loincloth Tug-of-War
58 Ear Tugging, Neck Tugging
59 Bird Cage, Hitai-eboshi
60, 61 Cock Fighting
62 Dengaku
63 Gitchō

53
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
78
79

Shigisan engi
Shigisan engi Overview
64 Chōja’s Mansion

82
84

i

65 Thatched Roof
66 Open Fireplace
67 Kitchen
68 Argha Shelf
69 Tai70 Gate, Well, Washing
71 Partition Screen
72 Hand Spindle
73 Stove, Oil Press
74 Toothblack
75 Child Servant, Portable Urinal
76 Blowing the Nose with One’s Hand
77 Vegetable Garden
78 Picking Greens
79 Drying Rice Plants
80 Azekura Structure, Bales of Rice81 Kiso Road
82 Travel
83 Lodgings
84 Hospitality
85 Old People
86 Skin Disease
87 Priest with a Red Nose
88 Dōsojin (Sai no Kami)
89 Rumor
90 Nusa
91 House with a Painted Target
92 Horse

88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115

Gaki zōshi
Gaki zōshi Overview
93 Defecation
94 Childbirth
95 Tombs
96 Tomb
97 Feast
98 Biwa

118
119
120
121
122
123
124

Kitano Tenjin engi
Kitano Tenjin engi Overview
99 Kuroki-zukuri House
100 Sleeping Quarters
101 Tatami102 Headwear
103 Headwear
104 Ryōtō
105 Chihaya
106 Loincloth107 Habaki
108 Habaki
109 Habaki
110 Long-handled Umbrella
111 Chopping Board, Cooking Chopsticks
ii

126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139

112 Drinking Party
140
113 Drinking Party
141
114 Food on Skewers
142
115 Well
143
116 Cypress Wood Fan
144
117 Seats
145
118 Brazier
146
119 Palanquin
147
120 Wooden Bridge
148
121 Iron Tongs
149
122 Adze
150
123 Chisel, Spear Plane
151
124 Rope Dipped in Ink
152
125 Winnow
153
126 Carrying on One’s Head154
127 Carrying on One’s Back
155
128 Carrying by Ox
156
129 Man Fallen on His Back
157
130 Fallen Man and Running Man
158
131 People Fleeing and Carrying Belongings
159
132 Holding and Carrying on the Back
160
133 Carrying on One’s Back161
134 Bystanders Watching Event
162
135 Sitting on the Ground
163
136 Sitting on the Ground and Hanging from Cart Shafts 164
137 Blowing One’s Nose165
138 People Crying
166
139 Man Baring His Shoulder and Man with a Topknot 167
140 Varieties of Beards
168
141 Childbirth, Ritual Bow-plucking
169
142 Prayer for Childbirth170
143 Invalid
171
144 Funeral Procession
172
145 Burial
173
146 Cemetery
174
147 Tamaya
175
148 Sotoba
176
149 Gaki and Gakimeshi
177
150 World of Children
178
151 Children
179
152 Children
180
153 Conch Shell, Messenger
181
154 Biwa, Go Board
182
155 Bird Cage
183
156 Protective Amulet
184
157 Head Shaving
185
158 Thunder186
159 Pigeons and Dog
187
160 Ox188
161 Mixed-colored Ox
189
162 Boat
190

Explanatory Notes to the Original Edition

1. The illustrations contained in this volume were produced by Murata Deigyū based on a faithful copy of the Senmen koshakyo, Ban
Dainagon ekotoba, Chōjū giga, Shigisan engi, Gaki zōshi, Kitano Tenjin engi.
2. The illustrations have been chosen from scenes in picture scrolls of everyday life of common people and aspects of aristocratic life
pertinent to the life of ordinary people in modern times. An effort has been made not to focus on objects in isolation, but to situate
everyday life in the context of its surrounding circumstances and activities.
The illustrations are presented not in the order of their appearance in the original scroll, but according to the following categories:
1. dwellings
2. clothing
3. food
4. furniture, facilities, techniques
5. earning one's living, livelihood
6. transportation
7. trade
8. appearance, actions, work
9. life, status, disease
10. death, burial
11. life of children
12. entertainment, play, social life
13. annual events
14. gods, festivals, religion
15. animals, vegetation, nature
3. Explanatory notes below each illustration are keyed to numbers appended to the items and activities figuring in it. Standard terminology has been used as much as possible; items of uncertain identity are indicated by a question mark.
A circle around a number indicates a general category and a square indicates an activity.
4. Illustrations are numbered consecutively.
5. General explanations of the illustrations focus primarily on the topic chosen as the title of the illustration. Individual items are notexplained in detail.
6. The works consulted in preparing the explanations include Kojiruien, Kōbunko, Kojitsu sōsho, Kinsei fūzokushi, Kiyūshōran, Emakiby Okudaira Hideo, and others; specific sources are not listed for individual illustrations.
7. The introductory note at the beginning of each picture scroll explains the following:
1. The number of volumes, the date of the work, and the author
2. The outline of the story and the value of the work as a source
8. This project is based on the conviction that there should be a pictorial index for pictorial materials comparable to dictionaries for
written materials. It aims to compile such a pictorial index of ordinary life, but it is not intended to be a substitute for the originalworks, which, it is hoped, the reader will consult as far as possible. Consequently, elements regarded as nonessential to the present
purpose have been omitted.

Explanatory Notes to the English Edition
1. This is an English translation of the revised edition of Pictorial Dictionary of Japanese Folk Culture, vol.1, edited by SHIBUSAWA Keizoand the Institute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture, Kanagawa University, and published from Heibonsha in 1984. This volume
includes English translations of the explanatory notes and lists of items appearing in the illustrations. A multilingual version of thelists of items, and a glossary and index are included in a separate volume.
2. An effort has been made to keep the translation as faithful as possible to the original text, but in some cases obvious and simple
mistakes have been corrected. Some long quotations from historical sources have been omitted as well.
3. In principle, the original Japanese terms have not been included in the text, but where an English equivalent is hard to find, romanized Japanese terms are given in italics. These terms are explained in the glossary contained in the separate volume.
4. The original text may contain inaccuracies judged from today’s understanding of the historical situation, statements about “modern” conditions that are no longer true in 2007, or discriminatory expressions, yet these passages have been in general translated
as they are, preserving the content of the original.

iii

Introduction to the English Edition

The story of how the original Japanese edition of thisPictopedia of Everyday Life in Medieval Japan was compiled
begins before the Second World War with Shibusawa Keizo(澁澤敬三, 1896-1963). Shibusawa, grandson of the influential
financier and entrepreneur Shibusawa Eiichi (澁澤栄一,1840-1931), was himself a very “public person”, serving in theCabinet of Prime Minister Shidehara and as director of theBank of Japan, as well as being a leading business figure.
However, he also had a very different claim to fame---prominent pioneer and promoter in the field of Japanese folk culture studies.
Shibusawa’s particular interest lay in the fields of mingu (民具), “folk implements” such as agricultural and fishery tools,
and the history of fisheries in Japan. However, he was also
instrumental in encouraging and promoting, both inspirationally and financially, a wide range of studies in what cameto be called Japan’s “material culture” (物質文化), to this end
establishing the “Attic Museum”, which developed into theInstitute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture (日本常民文化研究所). This Museum and Institute attracted a large number of young, talented researchers who later formed part ofthe core for post-war folk culture studies in Japan.
Shibusawa developed an interest in the Japanese art known
as emakimono (絵巻物), picture scrolls. These scrolls containstories, lavishly illustrated with pictures of scenes describedin the text, concerning historical, fictional, or religious
themes. He was especially interested in scrolls painted during the Heian and Kamakura periods, but not only for theirgreat artistic value. He noticed that the great detail in theillustrations could provide a unique window into actual lifestyles of the people at that time, their clothing, homes, food,their interpersonal relations, their manner of walking and carrying things. In other words, he recognized their ability toshow concretely what could only be surmised through readings of literary works or historical documents. If, he suggested, a dictionary, in Japanese a jibiki (字引), literally a “pullerof characters”, can be created to allow us to “pull out” themeanings of words, why not make an ebiki (絵引) to “pullout” the meanings of the things and customs illustrated inthese scrolls?
In 1940, Shibusawa formed a “study group” to explore thepossibilities of such an “ebiki”. However, its research wasinterrupted by the war, and much of the initial work
destroyed. It was in 1955 that the work was resumed, with a
newly formed group. In those days before the advent of copy
machines, digital cameras, and word processors, it was a task
requiring much time and effort. Pertinent sections of eachscroll were selected, and the painter Murata Deigyū (村田泥牛) would then painstakingly copy them in detail by hand.
The group, meeting the last Sunday of each month, would
then allocate numbers to the objects or activities in eachsketch, giving special attention to those involving the “com-mon people” rather than those in authority. After identifying
each to the best of the group’s ability there would be discussion of the function, context, and significance. The folk culture specialist Miyamoto Tsuneichi (宮本常一), a central
member of the group, was delegated to write the analysis foreach picture. A detailed index was also provided to enable
prospective readers to “pull out” objects or actions they wereinterested in. For example, if there was interest in various
styles of sitting---sitting cross-legged, sitting with knees up,sitting on the ground and worshipping, etc.---one would consult the index to find the relevant pictures and the occasional
analysis in order to discover the how, when, or why of people
sitting in the various contexts provided. It was hoped that thiswould enable readers to understand not only everyday life inmedieval Japan, but also to help them understand what haschanged and what has remained the same throughout theyears.
This labor finally resulted in the publication by Kadokawa
Shoten in 1966 of the Emakimono ni yoru Nihon JōminSeikatsu Ebiki 『( 絵巻物による日本常民生活絵引』) in fivevolumes. Unfortunately, Shibusawa did not live to see whatbecame of one of his favorite projects, having died in 1963.
After the Institute for the Study of Japanese Folk Culture wasincorporated into Kanagawa University (1981), the Ebiki wasre-issued by the Heibonsha publishing house in 1984. It is
this edition to which the Kanagawa University 21st Century
COE Program, “Systemization of Nonwritten Cultural
Materials for the Study of Human Societies”, has provided
this translation.
The first two volumes of the original five have been translated, and re-titled Multilingual Version of Pictopedia of Everyday
Life in Medieval Japan, compiled from picture scrolls.
“Multilingual Version” refers to the translation of the original
Japanese captions into English, Chinese, and Korean, inorder to assist and encourage comparative studies in Asianfolk culture studies.
As might be expected in pioneer works such as the original
Ebiki, not all of the information or interpretations have stood
the test of time. Subsequent new research reveals some inaccuracies in the captions or in the analyses provided, or atleast casts doubt on certain statements. However, the editors
have chosen to respect the efforts of the original compilers
and have for the most part translated the text as it stands,leaving judgments of accuracy to the discretion of the reader.
It is hoped that this Pictopedia will deepen interest in therich folk culture of Japan, and at the same time give aglimpse of an interesting page in the history of folk culture
studies in Japan as written by Shibusawa Keizo and his associates.
John Boccellari1