The Yūzū nenbutsu engi emaki, a set of illustrated handscrolls reproduced on an ongoing basis from the 1300s into the 1500s, provides a striking example of the enduring ritual, social, and artistic relevance of an engi in the years after its creation. By examining the personnel and dating of multiple copies, this article demonstrates that the engi was used in memorial rites for successive genera-tions of Ashikaga shōguns. In addition to supporting ritual practice, the proj-ect to continually reproduce the engi also drove cross-media adaptation and mobilized complex networks of patrons, calligraphers, painters, and monastic fundraisers.
