Lost Emaki Scrolls and Reproductions

Emaki are paintings presented in the form of a handscroll, which unrolls from right to left to reveal an alternating series of illustrations and accompanying text. Coinciding with the development of yamato-e (Japanese-style painting), numerous emaki were created from the Heian period (794-1192), featuring stories, both secular and religious, including romances of court nobles, biographies of high priests, and accounts of famous battles. Some of these emaki have survived over hundreds of years, but many have been lost, either partly or entirely, as a result of wars or natural disasters. However, we are able to learn about these lost emaki through the existence of mohon.

Mohon are reproductions of artworks. Most of them are copies of famous paintings, produced by artists in order to study the art of painting, or as models for their own work. Mohon are often regarded as being of less worth, but some of them are as valuable as the originals, especially when the original has been lost, or when the reproduction has been produced by a noted painter.

This display features mohon reproductions of narrative picture scrolls, the originals of which have been lost. We hope visitors will enjoy and appreciate these mohon both as reproductions of lost emaki, and as works of value in their own right.