Shigisan-engi Emaki and Choju Jinbutsu-giga

Manga is a form of Japanese pop culture with a massive following today. Interestingly, the origin of manga is a Buddhist monk’s transcription of sutras in Shosoin (Treasure House) in Nara. He left a drawing parodying his peers while they discussed something seriously.

Later on, this sort of doodling became an art piece intended to provoke readers’ laughter and it led to the art of Choju Jinbutsu-giga (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans) in the late Heian era. Choju Jinbutsu-giga is a series of four painted handscrolls, or emakimono, and is designated as a national treasure. It humorously shows the life and customs of ordinary people by personifying animals. 

Choju Jinbutsu-giga is divided into four parts: ko, otsu, hei, and tei. The ko volume features frogs, rabbits, and monkeys playing around or performing Buddhist memorial services. Otsu features a series of imaginary animals such as dragon and kilin (Chinese chimera). Hei shows people and characters gambling on dogfights and sugoroku, a board game. Finally, tei shows customs and events, such as Yabusame (horseback archery), Dengaku dance and other activities. Experts believe that the ko and otsu scrolls are from the Heian era, while hei and tei are from the Kamakura era. Toba Sojo Kakuyu, the head priest of the Tendai sect, is reportedly one of the painters of the Choju Jinbutsu-giga. Shigisan-engi Emaki (Legend of Mount Shigi), which was drawn during the 12th century, is also a nationally-designated emakimono. In Tobikura volume of these scrolls, there is a scene of a komekura (a rice store) flying in the sky on a Takuhatsu (a monk’s begging bowl). The story was humorously drawn from the viewpoint of the rice store, looking down on the village like a selfish rich man holding back his rice bales, while panicked villagers made a fuss. 

This satire influenced the sketched caricatures called Toba-e in the Edo era, which drew people and animals humorously and it led to manga today.