柳亭種彥作　歌川國貞画　 『偐紫田舎源氏』|A Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji by Ryūtei Tanehiko

Utagawa Kunisada

1829–42 · Set of nineteen woodblock-printed booklets; ink on paper, color-printed covers · Asian Art

Much of the stimulus for late Edo Genji pictures (Genji-e) was due to Ryūtei Tanehiko (1783–1842), who completely rewrote The Tale of Genji as a gōkan (popular literature published in bound volumes) in thirty-eight chapters. The protagonist, Mitsuuji, modeled on the courtier Genji, the “Shining Prince,” is a son of the shogun who poses as a philanderer in the licensed pleasure quarters. The colorful covers and black-and-white illustrations by Utagawa Kunisada propelled its success, helping it become the first Japanese book to sell over ten thousand copies. The frontispiece of the first volume reproduces the inkstone from Ishiyamadera Temple, said to be used by Murasaki Shikibu when she began to write the tale.

Artist

Utagawa Kunisada

Date

1829–42

Medium

Set of nineteen woodblock-printed booklets; ink on paper, color-printed covers

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Miki and Sebastian Izzard, 2018