Forty-nine scenes from the Tales of Ise

Forty-nine scenes from the Tales of Ise

Satomura Genchin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Tales of Ise has earned recognition as one of the great works of Japanese classical prose literature. Compiled in the tenth century, it comprises 124 short chapters. Each chapter relates an episode, sometimes amorous, in the life of an anonymous protagonist referred to simply as “that man.” He has long been thought to be based on the ninth-century courtier-poet Ariwara no Narihira. While the text circulated for centuries through copied manuscripts, the gist of the tale was also conveyed through small paintings associated with each chapter, often accompanied by the relevant poem. The paintings and poems, rendered on thick paper rectangles called shikishi, sometimes were preserved in albums or mounted onto screens, as here.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Forty-nine scenes from the Tales of IseForty-nine scenes from the Tales of IseForty-nine scenes from the Tales of IseForty-nine scenes from the Tales of IseForty-nine scenes from the Tales of Ise

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.