Account of Retired Emperor Takakura's Journey to Itsukushima Shrine and his Death

This book chronicles an official visit by retired Emperor Takakura (1161–81) to Itsukushima Shrine in present-day Hiroshima Prefecture. This is an account of the retired emperor Takakura's journey to Itsukushima shrine on Miyajima island in Hiroshima prefecture, a famed tourist spot to this day. Takakura lived during the late Heian period, which lasted from 794 to 1192. He made the journey after stepping down from the throne and becoming a cloistered emperor. The account is written in Japanese kana script from the perspective of a noble who joined the trip as an attendant. This work also features an account of the same emperor's death. These accounts were passed down together through Kanazawa-Bunko, an ancient library and now a museum.

They are believed to have been copied out during the middle of the Kamakura period, which lasted from 1192 to 1333. The front cover is lavishly decorated with gold and silver foil. The well-balanced mixture of thick and thin lines used within the same character or line as well as the vigorous yet rhythmical writing style reveal this to be the work of a skilled scribe. It was common for Heian-period nobles to keep diaries, but the beauty of its binding and the fact it was copied out by a skilled scribe make this a rare work. As such, it appears to have been made by commission to serve as an object of appreciation.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.