Scene from The Tale of Genji: Chapter 4, "Evening Face" (Yūgao)

Tosa School

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This scene illustrates a celebrated chapter in The Tale of Genji, “Evening Faces (Yūgao).” Genji stops to inquire after his old nurse and glimpses pretty foreheads in the humble house next to the nurse’s home. He looks up at white “evening faces,” flowers over the wall of the house, and asks his attendant Koremitsu to break one off. A pretty little girl comes out and hands him a heavily scented white fan, saying, “Put it on this. It is not much of a fan, but it is not much of a flower either.” Genji then begins his ephemeral and tragic affair with Yūgao. Shortly thereafter, Yūgao dies as a result of the jealousy of Rokujō Lady.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art