Rustic Tale of Genji (Inaka Genji)

Maker(s)
Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (1839-1892)
Historical period(s)
Meiji era, 1885
Medium
Ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (diptych): 74 x 24.8 cm (29 1/8 x 9 3/4 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
The Anne van Biema Collection
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S2004.3.316a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Print
Type

Woodblock print

Keywords
Anne van Biema collection, diptych, Japan, lovers, Meiji era (1868 - 1912), oban, rain, The Tale of Genji
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

In The Fake Murasaki Country Genji (Nise Murasaki inaka Genji), author Ryvtei Tanehiko (1783-1843) recast the famous narrative set in the imperial court of the Heian period (794-1185) in the Muromachi period (1392-1573). Shown here with his lover Tasogare, Mitsuuji, a fictional warrior of the Ashikaga lineage, had both martial and romantic skills. The implicit eroticism of this vertical diptych by Yoshitoshi led to a judgment by Meiji government censors that it was injurious to public morals. One of the objections was that one of Mitsuuji's hands is not visible. The artist is said to have responded that if everything is depicted, the flavor is lost. Despite the controversy it aroused, this print represents a high point in Yoshitoshi's artistic renderings of dramatic scenes in beautiful natural settings imbued with deep lyricism and human emotion.

Published References
  • Ann Yonemura, et al. Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection. Seattle and Washington. cat. 128, pp. 310-311.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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