The Tokugawa Museum of Art usually displays two of the 15 scrolls of the Tale of Genji, a national treasure in its collection, as a special exhibition in November each year, but this year five scrolls will be on display from September to November, with the scenes switched between them.
What is the national treasure The Tale of Genji Picture Scroll?
Although the existence of The Tale of Genji in Murasaki Shikibu’s own hand is no longer known, many manuscripts and picture scrolls of The Tale of Genji have been produced by many people.
The Tale of Genji Picture Scroll, a national treasure in the collection of the Tokugawa Art Museum, is the oldest surviving copy and the finest of its kind, and is thought to have been produced in the first half of the 12th century, mainly by the court in the late Heian period.
A national treasure, the Tale of Genji is the most dignified and compelling of the many ‘Genji-paintings’.
National Treasure ‘The Tale of Genji Picture Scroll’, Yomogi.
Period: 22 Sep (Sun) – 6 Oct (Sun).
15th ch.
On a moonlit night after the rain, Hikaru Genji happens to pass by the mansion of Suetsumika. When Hikaru Genji meets Suetsumika again at the decaying mansion, he is moved by her faith in him and her waiting for him, and vows to provide her with generous assistance.
National Treasure, The Tale of Genji Picture Scroll, Kashiwagi (II).
Period: 8 Oct (Tue) – 20 Oct (Sun).
Book 36.
Kashiwagi falls seriously ill with remorse for having secretly communicated with Hikaru Genji’s wife, Onasanomiya. He bids farewell to his best friend and Hikaru Genji’s son, Yugiri, who has come to visit him, entrusting him with his own wife’s future and an apology to Hikaru Genji.
National Treasure, The Tale of Genji Picture Scroll, pavilion (I).
Period: 22 Oct (Tue) – 4 Nov (Mon).
50th episode.
Ukifune is left in the house of her half-sister, the Nakakuni-no-kimi of Uji, and is hurt when the Nakakuni-no-kimi’s husband, Saginomiya, makes a pass at her. Nakano-no-kun takes pity on Ukishu and invites him to her room, where she reads the lyrics of a picture story to him. Ukifune looks at the pictures and sees a striking resemblance to her late sister.
National Treasure ‘The Tale of Genji Picture Scroll’, Sekiya.
Period: 16 Nov (Sat) – 24 Nov (Sun).
Chapters 16 & 17.
On a pilgrimage to Ishiyama, Hikaru Genji meets Kuusemi, whom he met when he was 17, at the Osaka barrier for the first time in more than ten years. Kusemi remembers the old days and composes a waka poem with wistful feelings.
National Treasure, The Tale of Genji Picture Scroll, Takekawa (II).
Period: 16 Nov (Sat) – 24 Nov (Sun).
44th episode.
Tamakazura’s daughters, Daigun and Naka-no-kun, sisters, play Go for the ownership of the cherry tree they have been fighting over since childhood, and their wives cheer joyfully. Kuranin Shosho catches a glimpse of Daikun floating in the evening haze, and his love for her grows stronger.
Autumn Special Exhibition The World of Miyabi: The Fascinating Tale of Genji
| Dates: |
22 Sep (Sun) – 4 Nov (Mon) |
| Venue: |
Tokugawa Art Museum |
| Location: |
1017 Tokugawa-cho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi |
| Opening hours: |
10:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30) |
＞Click here to buy tickets.
