refers to a

Japanese Buddhist Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had ...

practice of using an

emaki or is an illustrated horizontal narration system of painted handscrolls that dates back to Nara-period (710–794 CE) Japan. Initially copying their much older Chinese counterparts in style, during the succeeding Heian (794–1185) and Kamak ...

(hand picture, a painted hand scroll) or picture halls (rooms with pictures either painted onto the walls, or containing a series of hanging scrolls) to explain a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

principle.

History

The earliest examples of e-toki are of a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

pointing to a picture in a picture hall and explaining the story of either Shakyamuni (the historical Buddha) or another important Buddhist monk, most notably

Prince Shotoku A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

who is often attributed with bringing Buddhism to Japan from China, or in the case of

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

e-maki, exposing the hidden Buddhist message behind the images. The earliest examples of e-toki where only performed to a small group of the ruling class, and only upon special request. These early performances were non-accompanied, and a solo monk would use a pointer with a soft cotton tip to tap the paintings in areas that exemplified the point to be made ( the cotton tip was to reduce the wear on the scrolls, many emaki show the wear of these performances despite this precaution with areas of the paint flaked off in vital image areas). The practice started to move out of picture halls and become more of a public performance around the 11th century. At that time music began to accompany the picture telling. A blind monk would play the biwa as a sighted monk would tell the story and point to the picture. Music would be composed for specific stories, and the e-toki timed to correlate dramatic moments within the story to the music. Monks would often perform e-toki in exchange for gifts of food or money, and traveling e-toki performing monks would set up and preach on bridges or roadsides for any audience.

Practice

E-toki is often performed by a monk or

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

, but may also be performed by a

layperson Laypeople or laypersons may refer to: * Someone who is not an expert in a particular field of study ** Lay judge *** Lay judges in Japan * Laity, members of a church who are not clergy ** Lay brother ** Lay sister ** Lay preacher ** Lay apo ...

. Originally monks would preach from these pictures in private audiences for the elite and ruling class. As early as the year 931 AD the practice of e-toki is seen documented in written accounts.Kaminishi, Ikumi (2006). Explaining Pictures - ''Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan'', Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Though the practice of e-toki diminished after the 17th Century, it is still performed at

festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

and upon special request at temples today.

References

External links

* Monika Dix (2006)
Review: Explaining Pictures - ''Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan''
{{Authority control Mahayana texts Japanese art Kumano faith Buddhism in the Heian period Buddhism in the Kamakura period Buddhism in the Muromachi period Buddhism in the Edo period