This handscroll painting, over 12 metres in length, captures the pageantry surrounding a Korean delegation to Japan in the mid 17th century. Delegations were periodically dispatched from Joseon Korea to Tsushima in southern Japan, and would go with samurai excorts by sea to Osaka and thence along the Tokaido (Eastern Seacoast Highway) to Edo, for an audience with the shogun. The procession typically included three ambassadors with a large entourage of guards, scholars, musicians and entertainers, many on horseback. This work is traditionally attributed to Kano Masunobu (1625-94), who was commissioned to make a folding screen with scenes of the 1655 delegation. It seems more likely, however, that this scroll was created by local artists commissioned by the daimyo (military chieftain) of the Tsushima clan, also probably in connection with the 1655 visit of Korean ambassadors.
Chosen shisetsu gyoretsu zukan [Procession of Korean Ambassadors]
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- ReferenceGB 102 MS 86566
- Dates of Creationmid 17th century
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialJapanese
- Physical Description1 handscroll painting
- Digital Materials
Scope and Content
Access Information
Manuscript is fragile. Requests to consult the original manuscript should be emailed to docenquiry@soas.ac.uk and marked for the attention of the Head of Special Collections and Archives
Restrictions Apply
Acquisition Information
Purchased by SOAS, University of London in 1950.
Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements
H.33.3 x L.1246 cm
Conditions Governing Use
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