Ikoma, Shigisan Chōgosonshiji Temple

Shigisan-engi Facsimile Edition

Our price

More Buying Choices

Request Info

The Shigisan Engi, or Legends of the Temple on Mount Shigi, is a series of legends dating back to the late Heian period (twelfth century). It is made up of three scrolls representing legends passed down among members of the lower classes: "The Flying Granary," "The Exorcism of the Engi Emperor," and "The Story of the Nun." The style is simple, yet realistic, and the scrolls are particularly relevant due to their representation of common people's everyday life.

Scroll one, "The Flying Granary," shows the home of a wealthy village head whose granary travels across the sea and above the mountains to Mount Shigi, while bystanders watch with astonishment. This scroll provides an insight into Japanese domestic architecture of the time, as well as into traditional clothing and techniques such as oil-pressing.

In scroll two, "The Exorcism of the Engi Emperor," an imperial messenger leaves the palace to meet Myōren, a holy man, on Mount Shigi. When the messenger returns, a Buddhist god arrives flying through the air to cure the emperor's illness. This scroll accurately depicts the imperial palace, as well as common people suffering from various illnesses.

Scroll three, "The Story of the Nun," shows a Buddhist nun departing on horseback to look for her younger brother, Myōren. At the end of the tale, the two are finally reunited on Mount Shigi. The journey provides an insight into everyday life in twelfth-century Japan, with people traveling, doing laundry, and worshipping gods of roads and borders.

We have 1 facsimile edition of the manuscript "Shigisan-engi": Shigi-san engi facsimile edition, published by Maruzen-Yushodo Co. Ltd., 2002

Request Info / Price
Roll description compiled by the publisher.
Please Read
International social justice movements and the debates that ensued prompted us to start considering the contents of our website from a critical point of view. This has led us to acknowledge that most of the texts in our database are Western-centered. We have asked the authors of our content to be aware of the underlying racial and cultural bias in many scholarly sources, and to try to keep in mind multiple points of view while describing the manuscripts. We also recognize that this is yet a small, first step towards fighting inequality.

If you notice any trace of racist or unjust narratives in our communications, please help us be part of the change by letting us know.

Shigi-san engi

Tokyo: Maruzen-Yushodo Co. Ltd., 2002

  • Commentary (Japanese) by Donohashi, Akio
  • Limited Edition: not limited
  • Full-size color reproduction of the entire original document, Shigisan-engi: the facsimile attempts to replicate the look-and-feel and physical features of the original document; pages are trimmed according to the original format; the binding might not be consistent with the current document binding.

The facsimile edition features 3 scrolls:

  • Yamazaki Choja no Maki or The Flying Granary, size: 31.7×897.0 cm
  • Engi Kaji no Maki or Exorcism of the Emperor, size: 31.7×1280.5 cm
  • Amagimi no Maki or The Nun's Story, size: 31.7×1424.2 cm

Our Price

More Buying Choices

Request Info