refers to a

Japanese Buddhist Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...

practice of using an

emaki Illustrated handscrolls, , or is an illustrated horizontal narration system of painted handscrolls that dates back to Nara-period (710–794 CE) Japan. Initially copying their much older Chinese counterparts in style, during the succeeding He ...

(hand picture, a painted hand scroll) or picture halls (rooms with pictures either painted onto the walls, or containing a series of

hanging scroll A hanging scroll is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit East Asian painting and calligraphy. They are different from handscrolls, which are narrower and designed to be viewed flat on a table. Hanging scrolls are generally i ...

s) to explain a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

principle.

History

The earliest examples of e-toki are of a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

pointing to a picture in a picture hall and explaining the story of either Shakyamuni (the historical Buddha) or another important Buddhist monk, most notably

Prince Shotoku A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fem ...

who is often attributed with bringing Buddhism to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, or in the case of

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

e-maki, exposing the hidden Buddhist message behind the images. The earliest examples of e-toki where only performed to a small group of the ruling class, and only upon special request. These early performances were non-accompanied, and a solo monk would use a pointer with a soft cotton tip to tap the paintings in areas that exemplified the point to be made ( the cotton tip was to reduce the wear on the scrolls, many emaki show the wear of these performances despite this precaution with areas of the paint flaked off in vital image areas). The practice started to move out of picture halls and become more of a public performance around the 11th century. At that time music began to accompany the picture telling. A blind monk would play the

biwa The is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. The is a plucked string instrument that first gained popularity in China before spreading throughout East Asia, eventually reaching Japan sometime durin ...

as a sighted monk would tell the story and point to the picture. Music would be composed for specific stories, and the e-toki timed to correlate dramatic moments within the story to the music. Monks would often perform e-toki in exchange for gifts of food or money, and traveling e-toki performing monks would set up and preach on bridges or roadsides for any audience.

Practice

E-toki is often performed by a monk or

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

, but may also be performed by a

layperson Laypeople or laypersons may refer to: * Someone who is not an expert in a particular field of study ** Lay judge *** Lay judges in Japan * Laity, members of a church who are not clergy ** Lay brother ** Lay sister ** Lay preacher ** Lay apostol ...

. Originally monks would preach from these pictures in private audiences for the elite and ruling class. As early as the year 931 AD the practice of e-toki is seen documented in written accounts.Kaminishi, Ikumi (2006). Explaining Pictures - ''Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan'', Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Though the practice of e-toki diminished after the 17th Century, it is still performed at

festivals A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

and upon special request at temples today.

References

External links

* Monika Dix (2006)
Review: Explaining Pictures - ''Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan''
{{Authority control Mahayana texts Japanese art Kumano faith Buddhism in the Heian period Buddhism in the Kamakura period Buddhism in the Muromachi period Buddhism in the Edo period