＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
The “Summer Exhibition: Osaka Winter Campaign/Osaka Summer Campaign Screens – Memories of the Fierce Battle Between Toyotomi and Tokugawa” commemorating the completion of the “Osaka Winter Campaign Screen (Digital Reconstruction)” was held at Osaka Castle’s Main Tower from July 23 to October 7, 2020.
The “Osaka Winter Campaign Screen,” depicting the 1614 Osaka Winter Campaign, only has a copy made in the late Edo period housed at the Tokyo National Museum; the original is missing. Furthermore, this copy is an “unfinished version (sketch) with color instructions passed down through the Kano family written in it.” Toppan Printing therefore utilized the latest digital technology to restore the screen last year.
This exhibition features the “Osaka Summer Campaign Screen” owned by Osaka Castle’s Main Tower, along with the digitally reconstructed “Osaka Winter Campaign Screen.”
1. Who commissioned the “Osaka Winter Campaign Screen”?
The NHK BS Premium program “Heroes’ Choices” aired a segment titled “The Mysterious Folding Screen Speaks Out: Restoration and Inference of the Osaka Winter Campaign Screen” (August 14, 2019).
During the program, historians Tetsuo Owada, Masaru Hirayama, castle archaeologist Yoshihiro Senda, who was involved in the restoration project, and program host Michifumi Isoda speculated on who commissioned the screen.
(1) “Sanada Nobuyuki” Theory
This theory, based on the fact that the screen “centers on the exploits of Sanadamaru,” suggests that it may have been commissioned by Sanada Nobuyuki, who had ties to the Sanada clan.
Owada pointed out, “Wouldn’t it be dangerous to commission this from Nobuyuki, who was in a position where he was suspected of treason?” Hirayama also pointed out, “Nobuyuki was strongly aware of himself as a Tokugawa military commander and may not have had much sympathy for the Toyotomi clan.” This theory was rejected.
(2) “Date Masamune” Theory
The next theory that emerged was that the depiction of the army bears the Kuyomon (Nine Suns Crest) and suggests that it may be Date Masamune, who used the Kuyomon (Nine Suns Crest).
This is because Date Masamune’s vassal, the Katakura clan, was entrusted with Sanada Nobushige’s daughter, and Date Masamune is thought to have felt considerable sympathy for the Toyotomi clan.
This theory was rejected, with some pointing out that “Masamune would have had the painting focus more on himself,” and others questioning whether “perhaps he had the painting depict the summer campaign, in which he played a more active role, rather than the winter campaign, in which he played a minor role.”
(3) “Tokugawa Hidetada” Theory
Senda theorizes that “Hidetada’s camp is depicted quite large, and only half of Ieyasu’s camp is depicted, as if deliberately erasing Ieyasu’s presence, which is typical of Hidetada.”
However, it is concerning that the Toyotomi side appears to be too active for Hidetada to have commissioned the painting. It was also pointed out that if Hidetada had commissioned the painting, the original should have been properly preserved within the Tokugawa family.
(4) “Hachisuka Yoshishige” Theory
Mr. Hirayama proposed the theory that “Hachisuka Yoshishige, fighting in the lower center of the screen, is the one in question.” He was originally a Toyotomi daimyo, so he sympathized with the Toyotomi side. He also made a considerable profit from salt production and was financially well-off.
However, some commenters questioned the possibility that Hachisuka Yoshishige commissioned the painting, as the Hachisuka forces depicted on the screen are clearly being defeated.
(5) “Senhime” Theory
Finally, Mr. Isoda presented an interesting theory: “Senhime, who had a fond attachment to Osaka Castle, where she spent time with Hideyori, and who had ample financial resources and a 100,000 koku cosmetic allowance, may have been the commissioner.”
Both Ieyasu and Hidetada felt guilty about Senhime’s actions, so they could not have refused her request. Furthermore, Osaka Castle was a place of fond memories for Senhime, bringing back fond memories of her husband. This theory suggests that Hidetada reluctantly commissioned the painting at Senhime’s request.
Since the folding screen was embarrassing for the Tokugawa family, depicting only “the Toyotomi side’s victory,” it’s possible that it was secretly disposed of after Senhime’s death.
(6) “Toyotomi Hideyori” Theory
This theory was put forward in the segment “Reviving the Battle of Osaka: The Mysterious Gold Screen – Who Commissioned It?” on the July 3, 2019, episode of “Rekishi Hiwa Historia.”
“Toyotomi Hideyori commissioned it after the Winter Siege, but the Toyotomi clan was destroyed when he was forced to commit suicide in the Summer Siege the following year, so the finished product was never produced.” In other words, “Toyotomi Hideyori himself commissioned it to commemorate the ‘peace’.”
This theory is quite convincing.
2. Who was the artist behind the “Osaka Winter Siege Screen”?
This is a folding screen that had been passed down through the Kano family, so it seems that work was stopped for some reason when a Kano school painter was working on the “sketch” (rough sketch). This makes sense if the “Toyotomi Hideyori” theory in 1. (6) above is correct.
3. About the “Osaka Summer Campaign Screen”
(1) Overview
The screen consists of two large panels (left and right, shown above), each measuring 150.3 cm x 360.7 cm. Each panel contains meticulous depictions of 5,071 people, 348 horses, 1,387 flags, 974 spears, 119 bows, and 158 guns.
The right panel depicts the final battle of the Summer Siege of Osaka on June 3, 1615, while the left panel vividly depicts the chaos that raged just before and after the fall of Osaka Castle.
A notable feature of this screen is the full-length left panel, which is devoted to depictions of fleeing soldiers and refugees, as well as Tokugawa soldiers and bandits attempting to rob, kidnap, and headhunt.
Such vivid depictions are not found in other battle screens, and the screen has been described as a “Guernica of the Warring States period.”
This folding screen, handed down through the Kuroda family of the Chikuzen Fukuoka Domain, is also known as the “Kuroda Screen” or “Kuroda Edition.”
(2) Commissioner
According to Fukuoka Domain history, Kuroda Nagamasa (1568-1623), who served under Tokugawa Hidetada and fought against the Toyotomi forces, ordered his chief retainer, Kuroda Kazunari, or his vassal, Takemori Sadayuki, to assemble the finest artists of the time to record the battle.
(3) Artist
Based on the vivid depiction, the painting is believed to have been created shortly after the battle. There are various theories, including that it was painted by a single artist named “Hachirobei,” that it was painted by “Kuzaemon,” who studied the Tosa school, that it was a collaboration between “Hachirobei” and “Kuzaemon,” that the left panel was painted by a different artist somewhat later, or that it was painted by multiple artists in the same workshop.
Furthermore, since the left screen has a “Iwasa Matabei style” it has been pointed out that Matabei may have been involved in its production. Kuroda Kazunari, who was ordered to produce it, was originally the son of a vassal of Araki Murashige, and given the connection that Iwasa Matabei was Murashige’s son, this is quite possible.