Scenes from the Legend of Kiyohime 01: Journey's Start

This series of eight panels presents the ancient tale of Anchin and Kiyohime. A priest who had traveled from northeastern Honshu to Kumano on a pilgrimage caught the fancy of Kiyohime, the mistress of an inn in Kii province. Rejecting her advances, claiming he was on a sacred pilgrimage to Kumano, Anchin was forced flee. Maddened by desire, Kiyohime transformed herself into a giant fire-breathing serpent and pursued him. Anchin, hiding in the temple bell at Dôjôji, was eventually burned to death by the serpent. A cherry tree then grew on Hiyokuzuka hill where they were buried together, and that tree came to be known as the Iriaizakura cherry tree. Here Kokei has created eight panels based on the narrative written on a Muromachi period illustrated handscroll known as the Dôjôji engi emaki (Important Cultural Property, Dôjôji). It is thought that Kokei's original plan was to link the eight paintings into a handscroll format, but first they were entered in the Inten Exhibition in eight-panel form and in the end never remounted in scroll format. The first panel, Journey's Start, is depicted in ink line only and shows a peaceful scene of two priests, one old and one young, setting out from the northeast on their pilgrimage to Kumano, unaware of the tragedy that awaits them. The second panel, Sleeping Quarters, shows the young mistress of the inn in Kii province falling in love with the young priest Anchin, and sneaking into his sleeping quarters. The screens are pushed away, revealing Kiyohime. The third panel image shows a bird's-eye view of the main structure at Kumano Shrine, hinting at the pilgrimage. In the fourth panel, Kiyohime is enraged to learn that Anchin has betrayed her and she dashes after him with disheveled hair. The fifth panel, The River Bank, shows the disconcerted Anchin fleeing. The sixth panel, Hidaka River, shows Kiyohime in flying pursuit, faced with the river and putting her arms out as if to slow her headlong rush. This is the moment immediately before she is transformed into a giant serpent and crosses the river. The seventh panel, The Serpent Encircling the Bell, shows Kiyohime learning that Anchin is hiding in the Dôjôji bell, and belching forth flames that burn Anchin to death. Painted like a dragon seen in the wall paintings of Koguryô tumuli, Kiyohime as a giant snake in the bell is an uncanny image. This is the climax of the tale. Finally the eighth panel, The Cherry Tree at the Graves of Anchin and Lady Kiyohime, shows Iriaizakura cherry tree of Dôjôji that grew on the top of Hiyokuzuka hill, built as a tomb for the two tragic figures. This scene shows a scattering of cherry blossoms, a fitting blend of the beautiful and the tragic.