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Illustrations of Genji Monogatari: Vol 3, A Wreath of Cloud

Illustrations of Genji Monogatari: Vol 3, A Wreath of Cloud

17th century

Tosa Mitsuyoshi

Japanese

Karasumaru Mitsukata

Japanese

Written during the Heian period (794–1185), The Tale of Genji has captured the imagination of many with the intrigues of Heian courtly life. Told in fifty-four chapters, traditional depictions of this epic novel interspersed image with text as the story unfolds before the reader. Some established pictorial conventions for rendering classical tales such as the Genji are recognizable in the technique known as fukinuki yatai—literally, "blown-off roof"—in which the roofs of buildings are removed to provide a glimpse into the interior from above.

The section on view contains a scene of the butterfly dance, a performance that Murasaki, Prince Genji’s favorite consort, organized in the Tale of Genji, and this is also the subject of the textile hanging above this case.
Handscroll; ink, color and gold on paper
10 1/2 in. (26.67 cm)
L.: 28.5 ft
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
52.40.3
location
Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Legends, Tales, Poetry: Visual Narrative in Japanese Art, December 22, 2012 - July 21, 2013

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "A Thousand Years of Beauty: Japanese Art in Seattle", July 16, 2001 - November 17, 2002

Portland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, "Gift to a City: Masterworks from the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection in the Seattle Art Museum", cat. # 130
Published References"Gift to a City" exhibition catalogue. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1965, cat. no. 130

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