was a pastime popular among Japanese nobles during the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle betwee ...

, although its history dates back to the

Heian The Japanese word Heian (平安, lit. "peace") may refer to: * Heian period, an era of Japanese history * Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one ...

. In an ''e-awase'' contest, participants were divided into two teams, and created paintings on a predetermined topic, which were then judged by their peers, as in the older '' uta-awase'' poetry contests. It was a popular entertainment at parties and social gatherings. An ''eawase'' contest of this type appears in '' The Tale of Genji'', forming the central theme of chapter 17. An alternative version of the picture contest was simpler, with players matching or associating pre-painted images. This was a development of an older game known as ' ( "shell matching"). Matching scenes would be painted on the inner surfaces of a number of clam shells; these would then be spread on the floor, image side down, and turned over by competitors who would attempt to match the corresponding images.

References

{{reflist Japanese games Japanese painting