Kakuyu

Kakuyū ( Japanese 覚 猷 , also called Toba Sōjō ( 鳥羽 僧 正 ); born 1053 , died October 27, 1140 ) was a monk in the later Heian period who, in addition to his spiritual activities, is also known for his satirical drawings.

life and work

Kakuyū was the ninth son of the Grand Chancellor ( Dainagon ) Minamoto no Takakuni ( 源 隆 国 ; 1004-1077). As a boy he entered the Mii-dera temple on Lake Biwa and studied under Kakuen to become a priest. For a period of 13 years he served as head ( Bettō ) of the Shitennō-ji in Osaka , where he made great efforts to restore the temple to its former glory. Later he went back to Mii-dera.

Kakuyū brought together a large collection of paintings and objets d'art related to esoteric Buddhism. He was also a good artist himself, as shown by copies of his work in the iconographic books Besson zakki ( 別 尊 雑 記 ) and Kaku zenshō ( 覚 禅 鈔 ). The Hōrin-in, a sub-temple of the Mii-dera where Kakuyū lived, became famous over time for its collection of paintings and symbols of esoteric Buddhism.

Kakuyū enjoyed the favor of the emperor Toba . In his later years he served him as a "protective priest " ( 護持 僧 , Gojisō ). He also headed the Shōkongō-in ( 証 金剛 院 ), a temple founded by Emperor Toba and rose to the position of Archbishop ( 大 僧 正 , Daisōjo ), the highest clerical rank. He was also supervisor ( 調理 , Chōri ) of the Mii-dera and the highest official ( 座 主 , Zasu ) of the Tendai direction of Buddhism. - This very close connection to Emperor Toba led to the fact that he was usually called "Bishop Toba" - Toba Sōjō.

Written sources such as the Chōshūki ( 長 秋 記 ) from the years 1105 to 1134 and the cocoon chomonjū ( 古今 著 聞 集 ) from 1254 prove that Kakuyū was a painter of satirical pictures, so it was obvious to him for the manufacturer the "scrolls of funny animals" ( 鳥 獣 戯 画 絵 巻 , Chōjū giga emaki ) to hold scrolls. Also, the Shigisan engi ( 信貴山縁起 ) is not associated with more Kakuyū. Unfortunately, there are no works at all that can be ascribed to him beyond doubt. During the Edo period , the term "Toba-Bilder" ( 鳥羽 絵 , Toba-e ) came up for drawings of a humorous or satirical kind, a term that is derived from the works ascribed to him.

literature

• Tazawa, Yutaka: Kakuyū . In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art . Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .
• Laurance P. Roberts: Kakuyu . In: A Dictionary of Japanese Artists . Weatherhill, 1976. ISBN 0-8348-0113-2 .