IHL Cat. #2497
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In this scene from chapter 17, "E-awase" (title seen in English as "Picture Competition" or "The Picture Contest"), Court Ladies Saigū and Kokiden compete with each other in a display of painting skills.
"About March 10, when the wintry cold was on the wane, lady's maids both under Kokiden and Saigū held a party of picture competition in the presence of the Emperor. Fujitsubo presided over the party as a judge. Neither side, however, came out victorious.
"About twenty days later, the party met again. Prince Sochi - the son of the former Emperor Kiritsubo and the brother of the present Emperor - worked as a judge this time. The competition continued undecided for a long time. The maids under Siagū finally took out an illustrated diary written by Prince Genji while he was on exile at Suma. This brought them a victory. The judge commented this way: 'Without concentration no great talent can achieve much...'"[1]
[1] Genji gojūshijō 源氏五十四帖, published by Shin Kōbe Shinbunsha, 1974.
Genji monogatari or The Tale of Genji was composed by Murasaki Shikibu, [noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting to the empress] around the first decade of the eleventh century. It is divided into two major sections: chapters [or episodes] 1 to 41, which describe the story of Genji [the "Shining Prince," son of the emperor] and the women in his life, and chapters 42 to 54, which deal with Genji's progeny. The first section is subdivided into chapters 1 to 33, narrating the rise, fall, and rise again of the young Genji, and chapters 34 to 41, which portray him becoming increasingly introspective and contemplative.[1]
In the words of curator and art historian Alan Priest, "As an authoress Lady Murasaki is sensitive and perceptive. She writes a good story, largely concerned with young love and its troubles, which she deals with with sympathy and delicacy. She pays great attention to the dress of both sexes and describes court functions and progresses in great detail. She includes letters and poems and glimpses of nature."[2]
[1] Summary of Chapter 11, Genji monogatari and its Reception by Satoko Naito appearing in The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature, Cambridge University Press, 2016 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-japanese-literature/genji-monogatariand-its-reception/E6576578CEB18390851CAC13B50E18EC
[2] The Tale of Genji by Alan Priest appearing in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Summer, 1956, New Series, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Summer, 1956), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 1. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3257704 [accessed 7-30-24]
Originally issued in 1953 in a limited edition of 200 copies by the Tokyo-based publisher Yamada Shoin 山田書院, owned by Yamada Yonekichi 山田米吉, Illustrations for Genji monogatari in Fifty-Four Wood-Cut Prints 木版画源氏五十四帖 was reissued several times by the publisher, using the original woodblocks. Dr. Ross Walker on his Ohmi Gallery website notes that "a second edition was published in the 1980s but from recarved blocks and in a much larger format (large-oban size)."1 The Artelino website makes mention of a "privately commissioned" edition but provides no additional information. WorldCat lists two additional printings in 1958 and 1969 by the Ōsaka newspaper publisher Shin Kansai Shinbunsha 新関西新聞社, the 1969 edition described as "Fifty-four wood-cut prints in 27 folders, each print preceded by an attached clear [semi-transparent] overlay with explanatory text and summary of the story in English and Japanese." In September 1957, an edition was released by Naigai Taimususha 内外タイムス社.2 The marketing relationship between Yamada Shoin, active until 1978, and these other publishers is unknown.3
The production of the woodblock prints was a tour de force. As described by the publisher Yamada Yonekichi, up to one hundred blocks were used for an individual print in order to "capture the complex and delicate coloring of the Yamato-e style paintings on which these prints are based."4 In addition, deluxe woodblock printing techniques such as the use of metallic gold and silver inks were employed.
1 Website of Dr. Ross Walker's Ohmi Gallery https://www.ohmigallery.com/DB/Artists/Sales/Ebina_Masao.asp [accessed 3/24/2021]
2 Information on this edition is found on the website of the Tokyo Old Book Dealer Cooperative https://www.kosho.or.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=263955899 [accessed 2-28-25]
3 The last active date for the publisher is derived from the entries in WorldCat a global catalog of library materials.
4 From the publisher's booklet accompanying the original 1953 release.
Copied from the 1953 Yamada Shoin first edition
The original Yamada Shoin 1953 release.
Each print has a translucent cover sheet which summarizes
the scene being portrayed and its chapter
Yamada Shoin release. Publishing date unknown.
1957 release by Naigai Taimususha
1958 release by Shin Kansai Shinbunsha
August 1964 release by Shin Kansai Shinbunsha
Copied from the 1953 Yamada Shoin first edition
For collectors, it is difficult to know what edition (original or reissue using the original woodblocks) an individual print is from if it has been separated from its album, as is the case with this collection's prints. As the same print can be found with different color schemes, only a comparison with an intact complete edition of the album with colophon would allow more complete identification.
In January 1974, a machine printed version of the entire album (shown below), titled Genji gojūshijō 源氏五十四帖, was issued by two Kobe-based publishers, Ōe Kenzō 大江賢三 (associated with the publisher Shin Kōbe Shinbunsha 新神戶新聞社 ) and Ochiai Miyoji 落合 巳代治 (associated with the publisher Gakunan Shimin Shinbunsha 岳南市民新聞社). The printer for this album was Nissha Printing Company 日本写真印刷株式会社, still in operation today.
last revision:
2/28/2025
絵合
E-awase
(title printed within Genji 5-element chapter symbol in upper right corner)
正夫
Masao
(seal of the artist in lower left corner)