Incense Box (Kōgō) in the Shape of a Volume of The Tale of Genji

Incense Box (Kōgō) in the Shape of a Volume of The Tale of Genji

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This small incense box was created in the shape of a book. On the cover, suspended from a branch of a blossoming cherry tree, is a long poem-card (tanzaku) inscribed with a poem from Chapter 8, “A Banquet Celebrating Cherry Blossoms” (Hana no En).

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Incense Box (Kōgō) in the Shape of a Volume of The Tale of GenjiIncense Box (Kōgō) in the Shape of a Volume of The Tale of GenjiIncense Box (Kōgō) in the Shape of a Volume of The Tale of GenjiIncense Box (Kōgō) in the Shape of a Volume of The Tale of GenjiIncense Box (Kōgō) in the Shape of a Volume of 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.