Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace
Kamakura Period, Japan c. 1250-1300 CE
Artist: Unknown
The scroll is designed to be viewed close up and it is a bird’s eye view of the action moving from left to right. The scroll has vibrant outlines and washes of color. The story unfolds sequentially and is about a staged coup between the Minamoto and Taira during the 13th century. The Minamoto lost the battle but later defeated the Taira and then started the Kamakura period under the new shogunate. In the depicted artwork there is a scene that shows how the palace was attacked in the middle of the night and the emperor was kidnapped while the palace was burnt. During this time period there was a lot of attention toward realism but in this picture it is not prevalent because it ensures that there is no distraction from the portrayal of the battle. The staccato brush strokes and the vivid flashes of color capture the drama. The purpose of this artwork is to depict the details of the Heiji Rebellion. This scroll was made from ink and color on paper.
MLA Citations:
- “Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace (Article).” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/japan-art/a/night-attack.
- Heiji Scroll – Introduction, www.bowdoin.edu/~ktravers/projects/heijiscroll/intro.html.