Scene from The Tale of Genji

川辺御楯筆 源氏物語図

The mansion of Princess Hitachi in Kyoto is the setting for this scene from the eleventh century novel of court life The Tale of Genji. In chapter six, the hero Prince Genji learns that the princess is living alone after her father’s death and decides to pay her a visit. He finds her playing koto (a stringed instrument) by moonlight with the scent of plum blossoms filling the air. In the painting Genji listens from the veranda, but the princess is screened from his view. A second scene at lower right may show their fateful face-to-face meeting later in the story. Also known as the Safflower Princess, Hitachi has an unattractive large red nose that subdues Genji’s ardor.

Kawabe Mitate was a self-trained artist who painted in the style of the Tosa school, a lineage of painters affiliated with the imperial court. His traditional approach reflects the revival of historical subjects and styles among some painters active in the Meiji period.