小林古径
芥川
1926（大正15）年頃 絹本彩色･軸装 47.5×75.0cm
Kobayashi Kokei
Akutagawa
Around 1926 (Taisho 15), color on silk, mounted on a scroll, 47.5 x 75.0 cm
本作は伊勢物語の第六段、芥川に想を得た作品です。物語は主人公の男が思い続けた女性を連れて逃げる場面から始まります。二人は芥川の近くまで来ますが、夜が更けて雷雨に遭ったため、蔵に女性を隠して戸を守ります。しかし雷鳴に紛れて闇の中から鬼があらわれて食べてしまい、朝には誰の姿もありませんでした。
蔵で眠る女性は長い髪が床にほどけ、美しい着物の模様が闇から浮かび上がります。そこに雷鳴に紛れて鬼があらわれます。古径はその劇的な場面を厳しい線描と余白の繊細な薄墨により見事にあらわしています。
This work is inspired by the sixth episode of the Ise Monogatari, Akutagawa. The story begins with the protagonist, a man, fleeing with the woman he has longed for. They reach near Akutagawa, but as night falls, they encounter a thunderstorm. The man hides the woman in a storehouse and guards the door. However, amidst the thunder, a demon appears from the darkness and devours her, leaving no trace of anyone by morning.
The woman sleeping in the storehouse has her long hair spread out on the floor, and the beautiful patterns of her kimono emerge from the darkness. It is in this scene that the demon appears amidst the thunder. Kokei skillfully depicts this dramatic scene with strict linework and delicate light ink in the empty spaces.