"The World of Emaki Rugs"

Hello!
It's suddenly gotten chilly, and I'm starting to get excited, wondering if autumn has arrived.
The high temperatures recently have been taking their toll on my body, so I can't wait for autumn to come.

Autumn is a time of year with lots to look forward to, such as the annual "Autumn of Appetite," "Autumn of Reading," and "Autumn of Sports"!

What I would like to introduce today is not a rug that is related to appetite and sports, but one that will make you think of "Autumn is the season for reading," and that will make you want to enjoy a story while you sit and read on a long autumn night.

"It's so long!"

This one is so long that it doesn't fit in the photo at all - it's 281cm long!

This baby is usually wrapped up in a pile of clothes, making him look like something out of a picture scroll.

Picture scrolls are not something that we are familiar with, but for some reason, we all made one at least once during art class in elementary school. That's what they are to me.
It was originally introduced from China, but developed uniquely in Japan, becoming structured like a picture diary, with "words, pictures, words, pictures."

At first glance, it looks like a neatly arranged pattern of motifs, but upon closer inspection, I wondered if there was a story woven into this 281cm piece.

It seems that the work of writing the words and drawing the pictures is divided between the two, so I would like to enjoy the picture scroll rug by adding an original story to the illustrations by a certain Baluchi artist.

"encounter"

We want to trace the rug from its beginning, so let's start from the bottom up.

Two deer meet in a town.

Deer came out from the shop-like buildings on both sides.
There is a sign with a horn mark on the left, so it may be a barber who will give you nice horns, similar to a hair salon for humans.

There is a diamond between the two dogs, as if to say, "Excuse me, I dropped something."
I say "Thank you very much!" and leave the place.

"be on one's mind,,?"

Let's move on to the next scene.

Another day, when I went for a walk in the park on my day off, I saw a familiar deer beyond the fountain (the jagged gyul is called the fountain).
"Ah! That time!"
Our eyes meet perfectly.
We exchange a bow across the fountain, as if to say, "Thank you for your continued support."
Perhaps they are a little excited about this second coincidence, as the color has turned a warm orange!

"The third time is surely fate"

Another day, I encountered the deer again in that park.

"We meet again!"
They must have felt it was fate the third time, as there are two bright red heart marks between the two dogs!
It's such an obvious heart symbol that you can tell just by looking at it without any words being said.

It seems the two have fallen in love.

"Happy Ending"

In the final scene, the two deer are seen chatting happily in the town where they first met, and the love story comes to an end.
I'm relieved that it seems to have a happy ending!

He's 281cm tall, so there are a few more scenes in between...
This is going to be a very long post, so if you're interested in the full story, be sure to check out the rug!

What did you think of the love story depicted in the picture scroll rug?

When rolled up, it is very compact and easy to move around.

Although it's long, it's surprisingly small enough to lay out in a room, so I hope you enjoy the deer's story while walking across the rug!

text/hirai