Scroll on the Comparative Merits of Sake and Rice
The Scroll on the Comparative Merits of Sake and Rice 2=酒飯論絵巻 is a Japanese emaki dating from the 16th century, of which several versions or copies survive. The work recounts a quarrel during a banquet among three characters about the superiority of rice, sake, and diversity. It serves as a valuable iconographic document on cuisine and table manners in Japan during the Muromachi period.
Context
Imported to Japan from around the 6th century through exchanges with the Chinese Empire, the practice of emaki became widespread among the aristocracy during the Heian period. These are long paper scrolls narrating a story to the reader through text and paintings. The reader discovers the narrative by gradually unrolling the scrolls with one hand while re-rolling them with the other, from right to left, so that only a portion of text or image, about sixty centimeters, is visible at a time.The art of emaki experienced a golden age from the 12th to the 14th centuries, then lost its vigor and originality, although production remained significant within the main painting schools during the Muromachi period. The oldest versions of the Scroll on the Comparative Merits of Sake and Rice date from this period of artistic decline and classicism in the art of emaki.
Theme
The versions of the Scroll on the Comparative Merits of Sake and Rice consist of several scenes of banquets and cooking, where the painting accompanies the text in kana. The scenes depict a debate at the table among three characters—a noble, a monk, and a warrior—about the merits of rice alcohol compared to rice itself: the monk prefers rice, the noble prefers sake, and the warrior, the host of the banquet, appreciates both. After an introduction, each character successively praises their preference in a section of the emaki, for a total of four sections. This form of debate with three viewpoints, one of which is intermediary, is ancient in Japanese and Chinese theology and literatureThis debate, according to several scholars, references a religious quarrel among three Buddhist schools during the Muromachi period: Nichiren, Jōdo Shinshū, and Tendai, the latter teaching the Middle Way, or mediation. This ideological conflict led to a surge of violence in the imperial capital, already affected by famines and civil wars. The Scroll on the Comparative Merits of Sake and Rice does not depict these violences, but the author clearly advocates for the intermediary path in the final scene, painting all the characters eating and drinking together in moderation. The author highlights, in contrast, the excesses of drinking, drunkenness, and the austerity induced by the complete absence of alcohol
The final scene, full of splendor, abundance, and conviviality, appears utopian in the context of the late Muromachi period, depicting an idealized moment of life as envisioned by the painter.
Different versions
Around twenty or thirty versions of the emaki survive today, but the first historical version, generally attributed to Kanō Motonobu, has disappeared. The various copies can be classified into two branches: one linked to the Kanō school and the other to the Tosa school, the two main painting schools of the country at the time. Among the surviving versions, the oldest from the Kanō branch is sometimes attributed to Kanō Motonobu, though this is uncertain and contested, while the oldest version from the Tosa school is attributed, based on its colophon, to . The oldest surviving version, from the Kanō branch, is currently held by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and stored at the Tokyo National Museum. The work dates from the 16th century and consists of a single paper scroll measuring in height and in lengthWhile the pictorial style varies between versions, the text, narrative, and scene composition remain relatively consistent. The four scenes of the scrolls are generally divided into two parts, depicting the banquet and the preparation of dishes and drinks in the kitchen. The paintings reflect the beginnings or origins of genre painting in the Edo period, while inheriting traditional emaki painting techniques, notably the use of a high vantage point that allows interior scenes to be painted without depicting the roof or front wall of buildings. It is likely that the Scroll on the Comparative Merits of Sake and Rice served as a model for banquet scenes in more significant emaki, such as the Taiheiki emaki, and as a learning tool for young painters
The main institutions holding a copy of the Scroll on the Comparative Merits of Sake and Rice include the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the National Diet Library, the library of Waseda University, Kyoto University, the Seikadō Bunko Art Museum, the National Library of France, the British Museum, the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, the, and the New York Public Library.
According to a French study, the copy held by the National Library of France is one of the most refined and faithful to the original, distinguished by its attention to detail, fluid and sharp ink lines, flat color contrasts, and the use of mist to highlight the main characters.