A Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji by Ryūtei Tanehiko

A Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji by Ryūtei Tanehiko

Utagawa Kunisada

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Much of the stimulus for late Edo Genji pictures (Genji-e) was due to Ryūtei Tanehiko (1783–1842), who completely rewrote The Tale of Genji as a gōkan (popular literature published in bound volumes) in thirty-eight chapters. The protagonist, Mitsuuji, modeled on the courtier Genji, the “Shining Prince,” is a son of the shogun who poses as a philanderer in the licensed pleasure quarters. The colorful covers and black-and-white illustrations by Utagawa Kunisada propelled its success, helping it become the first Japanese book to sell over ten thousand copies. The frontispiece of the first volume reproduces the inkstone from Ishiyamadera Temple, said to be used by Murasaki Shikibu when she began to write the tale.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji by Ryūtei TanehikoA Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji by Ryūtei TanehikoA Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji by Ryūtei TanehikoA Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji by Ryūtei TanehikoA Fraudulent Murasaki’s Rustic Genji by Ryūtei Tanehiko

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.