Rustic Tale of Genji (Inaka Genji)

Object Details

• Artist

  Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (1839-1892)

• Label

  In The Fake Murasaki Country Genji (Nise Murasaki inaka Genji), author Ryvtei Tanehiko (1783-1843) recast the famous narrative set in the imperial court of the Heian period (794-1185) in the Muromachi period (1392-1573). Shown here with his lover Tasogare, Mitsuuji, a fictional warrior of the Ashikaga lineage, had both martial and romantic skills. The implicit eroticism of this vertical diptych by Yoshitoshi led to a judgment by Meiji government censors that it was injurious to public morals. One of the objections was that one of Mitsuuji's hands is not visible. The artist is said to have responded that if everything is depicted, the flavor is lost. Despite the controversy it aroused, this print represents a high point in Yoshitoshi's artistic renderings of dramatic scenes in beautiful natural settings imbued with deep lyricism and human emotion.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection (September 15, 2002 to January 9, 2003)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  The Anne van Biema Collection

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1880s

• Name

  Tsukioka, Yoshitoshi

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Lovers, Diptych, Rain, Art, Oban, Japanese Art, Anne van Biema collection, The Tale of Genji, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints