Analysis: The Night Attack On The Sanjo Palace

Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace
Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace, a famous Japanese work of art known as handscroll or emaki. This thirteenth century style of artwork is used as a historical narrative. Though, the battle was not essentially significant in history, it is important in the history and style of Japanese art. These handscrolls showed events how they took place, having "an almost cinematic experience". Often an emaki could reach up to 40 feet in length, showing a scene by scene detail. The way to view a handscroll is from right to left. The Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace, details the sequence of events leading up to an intense battle and ultimately deadly defeat. The artwork shows a nighttime attack where a retired emperor is taken prisoner and his palace is ultimately burned. The artist who is unknown, use of muted and vivid colors show the intensity of the

This period in Japanese history is known the Kamakura period, it was defined by the rise in the warrior class, the Shogunate class against the imperial class. The artist's application of color in this scene is muted, but the dominant color is black, it is seen in the carriage which plays important role in this narrative showing the impeding capture of the retired emperor.
Following this, the scene begins within the palace where we see that the battle has begun. The artist's main color in this scene indicates that there is bloodshed. At this point, there is no indication of who is the victor of this battle. Afterward is the climax of the narrative, which is shown by the billowing gray smoke and the vibrant scorching flames. This is clearly presented with the use of a vibrant red and muted gray, "noteworthy here are the staccato brushwork and vivid flashes of color that beautifully capture the drama of the event. The color used here clearly indicates the destructive fire, death and subsequent defeat of the imperial