文王呂尚・虎渓三笑図屏風

Emperor Wen Meets Fisherman Lushang ・ The Three Laughters of the Tiger Ravine

日差しも一段と秋めいて、過ごしやすい季節となりました！ 皆さま、いかがお過ごしでしょうか。

今回は、現在展示中の「文王呂尚・虎渓三笑図屏風」（狩野派・江戸時代）をご覧いただきたいと思います。

We hope this finds you well as the sun begins to shift into autumn.
On display in Shirokane now are a pair of Kano school screen dating from the Edo period, entitled Emperor Wen Meets Fisherman Lushang ・ The Three Laughters of the Tiger Ravine.



この図は、一見中国絵画のように見えるかもしれません。
古くから日本絵画では、中国の風景や故事を題材にしたものが多く存在します。
故事とは、大昔にあった出来事や、また遠い過去から今に伝わる、由緒ある事柄のことをいいます。特に中国の古典に書かれている逸話のうち、今日でも「故事成語」や「故事成句」として日常の会話や文章で繁用されています。

Chinese landscapes and historical tales have long been subjects of Japanese painting, the the present pair of screens is no exception. Many of these tales have perhaps shifted more toward legend than historical fact, yet have been passed down for generations. In fact, from the many stories passed down from ancient China, many have worked their way into contemporary idioms and expressions used in everyday speech and composition.

それでは最初に、左隻に描かれている【文王呂尚図】をご紹介していきましょう。
First, allow us to introduce the screen on the left, Emperor Wen Meets Fisherman Lushang.




まず中央の馬車に乗っているのが周の文王、一番右側には釣りをしている呂尚がいます。この図は、文王と呂尚の出会いのシーンが描かれています。

周の文王が渭水で釣りをしている呂尚と出会います。文王は彼の父や祖父の遺訓を守り、有能な人物を探していました。事実、彼の祖父、周の太公から、「いつか周の統治変革を助ける一人の賢人が現れるであろう」と言われていたのです。文王は呂尚を見た時、この男は非凡な男に違いないと、ひと目で感じました。文王は呂尚と語り合い、そして、この白髪の釣り人は実際に敏腕な政治思想家、軍事戦略家であると認めました。文王は『この男こそ祖父が待ち焦がれていた男に違いない』と感じ、呂尚を館に連れて帰り大臣に任じ、太公望【周の太公が待ち望んだ男】の称号を与えました。

中国の陝西省宝鶏には太公望が釣りをしたという釣魚台があり、観光地となっています。また、この故事に因んで日本では釣り好きを「太公望」と呼ぶそうです！

This is the scene when Zhou Dynasty (c.1046 - 256 BCE) Emperor Wen, in the carriage in the center of the screen, first meets Lushang, who can be seen fishing in the Wei river on the right. Having heard in an oracle that he would someday meet a wise man to help him establish the Zhou Dynasty, Wen followed the advice of his father and grandfather, the Grand Duke, and went in search of such a talented individual. The moment Wen saw Lushang, he knew without doubt he was an extraordinary man. After speaking with him for a while Wen confirmed that Lushang, this old, white-haired fisherman, was in fact not only an able political thinker, but a great military strategist as well. Knowing this was exactly the man his grandfather had longed to find to help them establish a new dynasty, he brought him back to their mansion, appointed him a cabinet minister, and named him Tai Gong Wang, meaning "the man the Grand Duke had hoped for."

Today, in Shaanxi, China, the place where Tai Gong Wang is said to have fished is a popular tourist destination. And in Japan, people who like to fish are sometimes called "Taikōbō", which is the Japanese pronunciation of Tai Gong Wang.


続いては右隻に描かれている【虎渓三笑図】です。
Next, I would like to introduce The Three Laughters of the Tiger Ravine.



絵の中央では３人の男性が談笑しています。

この図は、儒教・仏教・道教における３人の賢者がおしゃべりに夢中のあまり“気がつくと思いも掛けないところまで来ていた”という故事に基づいています。

中国浄土教の開祖で廬山（江西省にある山）の主、慧遠（えおん）法師は、来客を見送る際は山の麓の虎渓という谷川に架かる橋を渡らないという戒律を守っています。ところがある日、儒教の高僧、陶淵明（とうえんめい）と道教の高僧、陸修静（りくしゅうせい）を見送った時には、話に夢中で虎渓を越えてしまい、虎の吠える声を聞いて初めてそれと気づいた３人はここで大笑いをしたそうな....!

In the center of the composition, three men are standing together engaged in a friendly discussion. Of the three, the famed monk Hui-yüan, founder of China's Pure Land sect of Buddhism on Mount Lu, pledged never to leave the monastery there. One day, he was visited by two friends, the poet T'ao Yüan-ming, and the Taoist scholar Liu Hsiu-ching. At the end of their visit, Hui-yüan saw them on their way, but became so lost in conversation as they walked together that he suddenly realized they had crossed the bridge at the foot of the mountain over the Tiger Ravine, going beyond the monastery's grounds, which he had pledged never to do. It was the roar of a tiger that snapped them out of their trance, and upon realizing where they were, the three friends burst into laughter.



絵だけを見るよりも、描かれているストーリーを思い浮かべながらご覧いただくことによって、見ているこちらまで絵の中に惹きこまれてしまうような不思議な感覚が味わえることでしょう……!

展示は２８日（土）までとなります。皆様のお越しを心よりお待ち申し上げております。

Beyond merely looking at these paintings, it is understanding the content of the stories being told that really draws you in, and turns the viewing experience into something far more meaningful.

These screens are on display until Saturday the 28th, and we hope you will take the time to come by and see them.