Album of paintings and calligraphy depicting scenes from <em>The Tale of Genji</em>
date: label: Date
content: early 17th century
label: Period
content: Edo period
name: label: Artist
content: Tosa Mitsunori (1583-1638)
notes: label: School/Tradition
content: Tosa
label: Label
content: The Tale of Genji, a fifty-four chapter fictional work written in the early eleventh century by court lady Murasaki Shikibu, was a rich source for illustration. The Tale of Genji and other literary classics created in the imperial court of the Heian period (794-1185) figured prominently in the revival of courtly taste in early seventeenth-century Kyoto. Painters of the Tosa school, of which Mitsunori was a leading member specialized in subjects from classical Japanese literature and played a key role in that revival. Here Misunori's paintings in the fine linear style known as hakubyo are paired with poems written by various court calligraphers. This group of thirty pairs of paintings and calligraphy illustrating certain of the fifty-four chapters of The Tale of Genji are said to have been formerly mounted on a folding screen.
label: Provenance
content: To 1932
label: Provenance
content: Yamanaka and Company, New York 1932 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1932
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Yamanaka and Company, New York in 1932 [2]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] Object file, undated folder sheet. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Painting the Classics: Japanese Scrolls and Beyond (November 17, 2018 to October 20, 2019)
label: Exhibition History
content: Moonlight and Clouds: Silver and Gold in the Arts of Japan (November 11, 2008 to November 11, 2009)
label: Exhibition History
content: East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art (February 24 to May 13, 2007)
label: Exhibition History
content: Games, Contests and Artful Play in Japan (March 19 to October 23, 2005)
label: Exhibition History
content: Tales and Legends in Japanese Art (June 21, 2003 to January 4, 2004)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Art in the Age of Koetsu (June 6, 1998 to February 15, 1999)
label: Exhibition History
content: Life of a Japanese Painting (December 1, 1995 to October 16, 1996)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Art (May 9, 1993 to June 27, 1994)
label: Exhibition History
content: Literary Themes in Japanese Art (February 13, 1986 to March 9, 1987)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Calligraphy (April 18, 1977 to September 13, 1977)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Art (October 2, 1975 to October 8, 1976)
label: Exhibition History
content: Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 1 and 2 (February 25, 1956 to January 1, 1963)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Art, 1951 (January 23, 1951 to February 25, 1956)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Japanese Art (October 3, 1947 to February 25, 1956)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Paintings and Pottery (May 2, 1923 to December 8, 1941)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965)
place: label: Origin
content: Japan
topic: label: Topic
content: Edo period (1615 - 1868)
label: Topic
content: The Tale of Genji
label: Topic
content: Japan
label: Topic
content: gafu
label: Topic
content: Japanese Art
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1932.27.1-30
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ink and gold on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (overall): 24.7 x 20.3 cm (9 3/4 x 8 in)