Writing Box with Design of Maple Leaves and Bugaku Hat from the Tale of Genji

Writing Box with Design of Maple Leaves and Bugaku Hat from the Tale of Genji

Ogawa Haritsu (Ritsuō)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Bugaku hat and scattered maple leaves evoke the aura of the fictional prince Genji, the ideal Heian gentleman of sensitivity, elegance, and accomplishment. The images recall the episode in The Tale of Genji (Momijiga) in which the prince and his friend awe guests during an autumn festival at the palace with their dancing to "Waves of the Blue Sea," a piece that came into Japanese court music and dance from Tang China.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Writing Box with Design of Maple Leaves and Bugaku Hat from the Tale of GenjiWriting Box with Design of Maple Leaves and Bugaku Hat from the Tale of GenjiWriting Box with Design of Maple Leaves and Bugaku Hat from the Tale of GenjiWriting Box with Design of Maple Leaves and Bugaku Hat from the Tale of GenjiWriting Box with Design of Maple Leaves and Bugaku Hat from the Tale of Genji

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.