Scroll from Tale of Muramatsu (Muramatsu monogatari emaki)

Iwasa Matabei, style of

Handscroll from the 'Tale of Muramatsu' (Muramatsu monogatari emaki) painted in the style of Iwasa Matabei, in ink, colours, gold and silver on paper in Japan in the first half of the 17th century. This is one of three illustrated handscrolls in the Chester Beatty collection that tell the story of Muramatsu, head of a powerful clan. Originally, these scrolls would have belonged to a larger set, and as such, the narrative is incomplete. In this scroll, Princess Muramatsu, separated from her husband Kaneie who is exiled from the capital, is living in the household of Takei. Infatuated with the princess, Takei writes her a love letter, but it is intercepted by his wife. Princess Muramatsu's hair is cut short and she is forced to work in the stables and rice fields.