Scenes from The Tale of Genji, one of a pair

This work depicts popular episodes from The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari), a famous eleventh-century novel by Lady Murasaki. Its fifty-four chapters tell a romantic and eventful story about the charming Prince Hikaru Genji. The novel was a favorite among court nobles, and soon inspired artists to depict its famous scenes on handscrolls, album leaves, and screens.

In the upper right of the right-hand screen is the most famous scene of the fifth chapter, “Lavender” (“Wakamurasaki”), in which Prince Genji encounters for the first time the young Murasaki, his future principal consort. Below it is an episode from the third chapter, “The Shell of the Locust” (“Utsusemi”), in which the prince peeks at the wife and the stepdaughter of a provincial officer, Nakagawa. The scenes on the left screen are from the last ten chapters, which revolve around Kaoru, a young man mistakenly thought to be Genji’s son. These episodes take place near the famous Uji Bridge.