Ishiyama-dera Digital Engi Emaki

Synopsis

The Ishiyama-dera temple in Outsu has revealed its first-ever CG anime adaptation of the Ishiyama-dera engi emaki scrolls, developed through the Ishiyama-dera Digital Engi Emaki Project. This series focuses on the narrative from the first scroll, in which the deity Hira Myoujin appears to the temple’s founder, Rōben, disguised as an elderly man. Hira Myoujin delivers an oracle that directs Rōben to establish Ishiyama-dera. The engi emaki comprises seven scrolls containing 33 illustrated tales about the temple and its surrounding area, including a scene suggesting that Murasaki Shikibu found inspiration for The Tale of Genji while gazing at Lake Biwa from the temple grounds. Recognized as an Important Cultural Property, these scrolls were shown together for the first time in 2012.

Background

The anime will screen on September 9 in the temple's Rennyo Hall, projected onto a sliding paper door, with a narrator explaining the illustration. The temple will also show the anime during the temple's yearly "Light-Up Festival" in fall.