Artwork Info: Scenes Illustrating Poems from The Tale of Genji (Hakubyō Genji monogatari emaki), Scrolls 3 and 4

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Scenes Illustrating Poems from The Tale of Genji (Hakubyō Genji monogatari emaki), Scrolls 3 and 4

1554
10.0 x 638.0 cm

These handscrolls are from a set of six illustrating poems from Genji, which represent the pinnacle of ink-line drawing (hakubyō) in the amateur mode. The works exhibit an appealing hallmark of ink-line painting: exuberant, charmingly out-of-scale flowers and grasses, depicted with subtle gradations of ink. The elaborate paintings reflect a level of engagement with the tale found in Genji commentaries from the same period, making the attribution to Kaoku Gyokuei, a female author of commentaries and collections of Genji poetry, likely. The final scroll of the set has a rare dated colophon indicating that it was a copy of an earlier work.

Kaoku Gyokuei (? – ?)

Kaoku Gyokuei (1526-after 1602) was a Japanese writer and poet of the Sengoku period renowned for her insightful commentaries on *The Tale of Genji*. Her accessible style, focused on enjoyment rather than scholarly analysis, made the classic novel more widely available to aristocratic women. She also created an emaki (illustrated scroll) version of the tale.

About this artwork

Title: Scenes Illustrating Poems from The Tale of Genji (Hakubyō Genji monogatari emaki), Scrolls 3 and 4
Artist: Kaoku Gyokuei
Year: 1554
Original dimensions: 10.0 x 638.0 cm
Copyright status: Under copyright

Scenes Illustrating Poems from The Tale of Genji (Hakubyō Genji monogatari emaki), Scrolls 3 and 4

Kaoku Gyokuei (? – ?)

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Scenes Illustrating Poems from The Tale of Genji (Hakubyō Genji monogatari emaki), Scrolls 3 and 4

Kaoku Gyokuei (? – ?)

About this artwork

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