'The War of the Twelve Animals' ('Junirui kassen emaki'): A medieval Japanese illustrated beast fable

The Junirui kassen emaki, a fifteenth-century narrative picture scroll now in a private collection in Kyoto, tells the story of a war between the Twelve Animals of the East Asian calendar cycle and the excluded animals, led by the rebellious tanuki (Japanese raccoon). The work is a fine and early example of the literary and artistic genre known as iruimono, in which animals or other non-human creatures imitate the actions of human beings. It was most likely created at the court of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358--1408), the most powerful of the Muromachi shoguns and a noted patron of the arts.; The dissertation includes a study of documentary evidence that establishes the date and probable patronage of the work, and a full translation of the text; as well as an extensive history of representations of the Twelve Animals throughout East Asia. It is shown that the Junirui kassen emaki makes clever use of the rich tradition of Japanese animal folklore to parody three established genres of serious narrative picture scrolls: poetry contests, war stories, and stories of religious enlightenment. In addition, it contains satirical allusions to events of the Oei Rebellion of 1399--1400, with emphasis on the folly of rebellion against established authority.