East Asia: Early Japanese Painting
Anonymous, Heiji Monogatari Scroll 1, The Raid on Sanjo Palace, third
quarter of the 13th century. In 1160 there was a war between the Minamoto
and the Taira in an abortive attempt for the Minamoto to become the de facto
rulers of Japan. However the Taira defended the imperial prerogatives and
so defeated the Minamoto that they did not recover their power for a full
generation. During the rebellion, the retired emperor Goshirakawa's palace
in the third ward (Sanjo) was burned to the ground. The mission was carried
out by the general Fujiwara Nobuyori in order to take the ex-emperor hostage.
Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
