Unveiling the Editing Process of Japanese Demons Picture Scrolls: How Digital Humanities Played a Role in Developing a New Theory in Art History

This paper examined seventy-one Hyakki Yagyō Emaki (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons Picture Scroll; Demons Scroll) and estimated the artistic editing process using a digital humanities approach. The edit distance was used to illustrate the lineage trees of Demons Scrolls, focusing on the arrangement of the demons in the procession. The author concluded that a type of scroll depicted the demon arrangement closest to the prototype of the renowned Shinjuan lineage scrolls. By numbering the demons in the procession, the author contributed quantitative evidence to the ongoing iconographical interpretation debate. The paper ends with a discussion of new questions regarding Demons Scrolls that have arisen as a result of this research. By applying similar methods to other materials, the scope of digital humanities can be expanded.