National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This scroll - now missing its original first section (comprising text and the scene of the Ichinomiya deity’s appearance) - begins with the origin tale (J., engi) of the Ichinomiya and Ninomiya shrines in Wakasa Province (now　southwestern Fukui Prefecture), represented respectively by the male and female deities Wakasahiko and Wakasahime. The following section traces the lineage of priests who administered the shrines since the time the two deities were enshrined. The distinctive feature of this genealogical painting is the pairing of two successive figures, facing one another. The priests of odd-numbered generations are portrayed as divine figures in formal court attire, each seated on a dais in front of a standing screen; priests of even-numbered generations are depicted as mortals in informal court attire, seated on tatami mats. This difference is most striking in the first pair, in which the first-generation priest, Tokifumi, dons a Chinese-style robe. The alternate seating arrangement lends to its other title Shinjin-e Keizu (Illustrated Genealogy of Gods and Men).
The illustrated narrative is continuous with short annotations inscribed next to key scenes or figures. The bright coloration and simple, thin lines are also particular to this work. The portraits of the generational priests in the first half of the scroll were painted in the twelfth century, during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and represent traditional expressions of nise-e (realistic portraits) with its use of fine lines; the latter sections were later additions.