SET OF FIVE SHITA-E Comprising several joined sheets, in ink on fine paper, depicting a section of the famous illustrated scroll *Nenjû gyôji emaki* (Illuminated Scroll of the Annual Cycle of Celebrations). (Some soiling and cut-outs). Japan, 18th–19th centuries. A SERIES OF SHITA-E FOR THE NENJÛ GYÔJI EMAKI, JAPAN, 18TH–19TH CENTURIES. DIM. 45.2 X 81.8 CM (17 13/16 X 32 3/16 IN.) - 43.2 X 57.5 CM (17 X 22 5/8 IN.) - 34.8 × 107.4 cm (13 11/16 × 42 1/4 in.) - 45.2 × 81.8 cm (17 13/16 × 32 3/16 in.) - 45 × 54.8 cm (17 3/4 × 21 9/16 in.) Note The original comprised 60 scrolls which the retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa had commissioned in the second half of the 12th century from the painter Tokiwa Genji Mitsunaga to commemorate the various ceremonies taking place in the imperial capital, Heian-kyō (Kyoto) throughout the year. They were destroyed in a fire in 1661. However, part of it is known to us through several copies, the most important and finest of which comprises 16 scrolls produced in 1626 under the direction of the painter Sumiyoshi Jôkei, and is preserved in the Tanaka Collection in Tokyo. It is likely that these shita-e were based on scroll 3 of Sumiyoshi’s copy. They depict cockfights (toriawase), a pastime practised at the imperial court and in the residences of high-ranking aristocrats, particularly during the celebrations on the third day of the third lunar month. This set of shita-e is particularly interesting from an architectural perspective as it faithfully reproduces the architecture of an aristocratic residence in the shinden-zukuri style and its outbuildings, complete with their architectural terminology. There are also numerous indications of pigments for colouring. Bernard Rousseau, in a note, wondered whether these drawings might have been by Sumiyoshi.