Biohistory Journal, Autumn, 2005

Research: Index > Iji Dozu: Observing movement

Iji Dozu: Observing movement

There is a renewed recall of observation for research into living creatures with a tendency toward analysis, with an effort to link this to understanding the essence, and searching for hints from among the wisdom of art in all ages and places.

Tigar jtaka / Asuka period / 7th century / In the collection of Horyu-ji Temple (Photograph: Nara National Museum) This work depicts a jtaka (a tale depicting one of the Buddha's previous lives), who in a previous life was moved to pity a starving tiger and its cub. He saved them by offering them his own body. The work is drawn in three stages: Hanging his clothes on a tree at the top of a cliff (upper), throwing himself off the cliff (center), and being eaten by the tigers (lower).     The method of iji dozu (the tequnigue of depicting different time period in the same picture) is used to depict the passage of time in one picture. The protagonist of the action appears several times in the picture, with the same background used, and the viewers can limit their considerations to the expression of continuous action. One work that typifies this form is the well-known Shashinshiko. The origin of the motif is a tale of the previous life of the Buddha, which came from India. It is seen in glyphs in India and mural paintings in China, but this is a particularly splendid example of the refined composition of Tamamushi Nozushi. It gives the viewer the impression of witnessing a dramatic instant in slow motion.     The elegant figure with its robe coming loose and falling off is enough to make one forget about the horror of being eaten by a tiger. The spirit of self-sacrifice behind saving the tigerﾕs life is beautifully expressed. The cliff at the left appears in all the scenes, and the character clearly falls over. The interesting aspect is the recognition of the several figures as one person, and sensing that movement.     Michelangelo, the artistic master of the Italian Renaissance, used the iji dozu technique for the center panel of his impressive ceiling painting in the Sistine Chapel, ﾒThe Fall and the Expulsion from Paradiseﾓ. In the sense that it depicts the birth of sinful human beings, it is a more jarring, immense scene than ﾒThe Creation of Adamﾓ. The contrasting structure inserted into the Tree of Knowledge determines crime and punishment, the fall to earth from heaven, and the turning point from happiness to sadness. Thatﾕs how the work makes use of iji dozu in several instances to create an effect in the painting whose primary subject is a narrative. The completion of the realistic expression eliminates the natural aspects.

The Fall and the Expulsion from Paradise Michelangelo Buonarotti 16th Century / Sistine Chapel This is one of nine scenes from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament depicted on the ceiling. Adam and Eve are tempted by the snake to eat the forbidden fruit (left), receiving the anger of God and being expelled (right).

In biology, which pursues the unceasing movement of living creatures at different levels from the micro to the macro, a plate explaining the movement is indispensable. A depiction of different moments is extremely interesting. The most common plates are those separated into blocks, which avoid misunderstandings and complexity, but occasionally one sees iji dozu plates. In physics textbooks, one can see the movement of free fall and parabolic motion in stroboscopic photographs. I also recall seeing the orbits of the sun and the moon, and the motion of starts shown as arcs in single photographs.     Understanding phenomena with the inclusion of time is the basis of science. Different techniques for methods of skillfully expressing time, such as the rapid movement of animals not visible to the naked eye, or, on the other extreme, the slow growth of plants, will likely continue to be developed in the future. Compared to films viewed over a period of time, the iji dozu plates are superior in their capability to allow the viewer to carefully recognize the process of movement. Also, compared to the separation into individual scenes, the iji dozu is more dynamic, and has the advantage of saving space.     Nature is filled with movement. Creating a masterpiece of a plate that is accurate and impressive is a form of scientific research that transcends simple depiction. Naoko Kitaji

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