E-awase
Japanese game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
E-awase (絵合, painting contest) was a pastime popular among Japanese nobles during the Kamakura period,[1] although its history dates back to the Heian.[2]
-_Tamatori-ama,”_from_the_series_Scenes_amid_Genji_Clouds_Matched_with_Ukiyo-e_Pictures_(Genji-gumo_ukiyo_e-awase)_MET_DP-18165-001.jpg)
| 絵合 | |
|---|---|
An Ukiyo-e print from Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s e-awase series. The image depicts Tamatori, Fujiwara no Kamatari’s driver, fighting an octopus, 1845-6 | |
| Years active | Kamakura period |
| Players | 2 teams |
| Skills | Painting |
In an e-awase contest, participants were divided into two teams[1] and created paintings on a predetermined topic, which were then judged by their peers,[3] as in the older uta-awase poetry contests.[4] It was a popular entertainment at parties and social gatherings.[5] An e-awase contest of this type appears in The Tale of Genji, forming the central theme of chapter 17.[6]
An alternative version of the picture contest was simpler, with players matching or associating pre-painted images.[7] This was a development of an older game known as kai-awase (貝合 "shell matching"). Matching scenes would be painted on the inner surfaces of a number of clam shells; these would then be spread on the floor, image side down, and turned over by competitors who would attempt to match the corresponding images.[8]