Ema, display practices of Edo period votive paintings
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Large-scale ema (votive paintings) were commonly found at Edo period religious sites, where sacred and secular activities mingled. Ema halls functioned as art galleries, providing almost unrestricted access to paintings for any member of society. While the genre is most frequently defined through the initial act of donation, the role of ema in Edo period society is rooted in their public display. This dissertation examines the diversity of Edo period ema and contexts for their display within late Edo period society. Chapter 1 discusses the development of ema as paintings of horses in early Japanese history, including depictions in medieval handscrolls, and their role as examples of common religious practice in Japan, despite being usually described as Shinto religious objects. Chapter 2 focuses on the display and dissemination of ema during the Edo period. I examine Edo period literature about ema and how ema were understood by writers of the period. I also address the rise of ema halls and the increasing importance of ema displays within the early modern culture of public entertainment. Chapters 3 and 4 use two popular Buddhist temples in the Edo region as case studies for ema donation and display. Chapter 3 surveys ema at Sensôji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo to highlight both the continued importance of horses as subjects of ema and also the expansive diversity of subjects beyond horses. Stories told during the period about the oldest ema at Sensôji (early seventeenth-century) reveal beliefs about the efficacy of ema. Other ema display connections to the public amusements found in the Sensôji district. Chapter 4 explores the associations between ema at Naritasan Shinshôji in Chiba prefecture and the Ichikawa Danjûrô family of Kabuki actors. These actors and their fans used ema both to express religious devotion and to promote themselves in more secular ways. Naritasan was closely tied to Edo, especially through degaichô (public viewings of the temple's main statue) in the Fukagawa district of Edo, and many ema donations can be linked to the degaichô. While not denying the importance of ema as religious objects, I seek to show how their importance as objects of display and advertisement complemented their spiritual functions. They were part of a spiritual and social exchange that donors performed for both the gods and the viewing public.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2010 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Snow, Hilary Katherine |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Art and Art History |
| Primary advisor | Takeuchi, Melinda |
| Thesis advisor | Takeuchi, Melinda |
| Thesis advisor | Pentcheva, Bissera V |
| Thesis advisor | Vinograd, Richard Ellis |
| Thesis advisor | Wigen, Kären, 1958- |
| Advisor | Pentcheva, Bissera V |
| Advisor | Vinograd, Richard Ellis |
| Advisor | Wigen, Kären, 1958- |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Hilary Katherine Snow. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Art and Art History. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2010. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2010 by Hilary Katherine Snow
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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