Kano Yosenin Korenobu
The Tale of Genji

Hanging scroll
Color on silk
106cm×41cm

Condition

This elegant pair of Genji paintings captivates the viewer with its refined beauty and delicate execution. The right-hand scroll depicts Yūgiri, while the left-hand scroll illustrates Ukifune, juxtaposing scenes of autumn and winter. The Yūgiri scene portrays Yūgiri, who has fallen deeply in love with Ochiba no Miya, the widow of Kashiwagi. Standing at her mountain villa in Ono, he gazes into the setting sun, raising a fan as he loses himself in contemplation. The surrounding landscape is imbued with the richness of late autumn: leaves have fallen from the treetops, and the rice fields gleam in the sunlight. Nearby, a charming deer approaches a rustic brushwood fence, enhancing the poetic atmosphere of the season.

Yūgiri himself is depicted as a noble and handsome figure, with a straight nose and elegantly elongated eyes that convey both refinement and dignity. In the background, crimson autumn foliage mingles with evergreen trees, creating a beautifully colored mountain landscape. The compositional device of placing the narrative episode in the foreground while opening a spacious and richly layered landscape in the distance is characteristic of Kano Korenobu’s work. It is also seen in the celebrated collaborative masterpiece Twelve Monthly Genre Scenes (Edo-Tokyo Museum), painted together with his son, Kano Eisen. Indeed, the composition closely resembles a reversed version of Korenobu’s October: Autumn Leaves in a Shower of Rain from that series. The translucent colors of the autumn leaves harmonize beautifully with the delicate rendering of swaying rice stalks, seemingly reflecting Yūgiri’s troubled emotions as he yearns for the princess. Through his meticulous depiction of the changing seasons, Korenobu incorporates the achievements of his renowned landscape paintings, while also revealing his distinctive ability to mirror the emotional states of literary characters within the natural world.

These qualities emerge even more vividly in the Ukifune scene. The painting depicts one of the central episodes from the “Uji Chapters” of The Tale of Genji: Niou no Miya and Ukifune sharing an intimate moment aboard a boat. Unlike Kaoru, her reserved lover who seldom visits her villa in Uji, Niou no Miya expresses his affection with passionate intensity. Gradually, Ukifune finds herself drawn to him. When Kaoru promises to bring her to the capital, the anxious Niou no Miya travels once again to Uji through a heavy snowfall and secretly escorts her to a secluded retreat across the Uji River. This painting masterfully captures Ukifune’s conflicted emotions as her heart wavers between the two men.

The foreground composition, depicting the boatman, Ukifune, and Niou no Miya, is a familiar motif in Genji paintings. Yet the background reveals Korenobu’s distinctive sensitivity to atmosphere and setting. Snow accumulates delicately on willow branches and trees, rendered with remarkable precision and conveying the bitter cold of winter. Aboard the boat, Ukifune lowers her gaze, seemingly lost in thought and avoiding eye contact with Niou no Miya. Although she appears unsettled by his bold actions, the surrounding landscape subtly suggests that his passionate devotion has begun to move her heart. Snow rests upon the bridge railings in the distance, yet portions of it have melted under the moonlight. This evocative detail hints that Ukifune’s steadfast resolve is gradually softening in response to Niou no Miya’s determination, as he braves the deep snow and harsh weather to reach her.

This work was once owned by the Matsusaka Mitsui family, the founding lineage of the wealthy Mitsui merchant house that flourished from the Edo period onward. Preserved in the birthplace of one of Japan’s most influential mercantile families, this masterpiece vividly evokes the poetic world of The Tale of Genji, inviting modern viewers into the elegant and resplendent realm of the Heian court.