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Writing Practice, Chapter 53 (Tenarai)

Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), 1853, Wood cut
Writing Practice, Chapter 53 (Tenarai)
Writing Practice, Chapter 53 (Tenarai)
Writing Practice, Chapter 53 (Tenarai)
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Category
Library Item
Item no
16249
Title
Writing Practice, Chapter 53 (Tenarai) from the series "A Modern Collection of Genji in Colour Prints" ("Ima Genji nishiki-e awase")
Description
A woman is shown kneeling at a desk writing calligraphy while a young boy looks on. In one hand she holds a calligraphy brush and with the other hand she holds the paper in place. On the low writing desk there are several more brushes and an inkstone. The boy carries a booklet of completed calligraphy. The woman wears a purple kimono with a red geometrically patterned obi belt. At the hem of her kimono is the 'crow gourd' pattern introduced in the illustration for the Yugao chapter of the tale. The woman wears decorative hairpins, and the boy is dressed in a blue kimono and has a shaved head. Besides the one golden wall partition, painted with lotus flowers, there are no further screens and the room opens out onto a walkway overlooking the sea. In the background, peasants are busy harvesting the crops.

This image derives from the serial novel or 'gokan', 'A Fake Murasaki and a Rustic Genji' (Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji) written by Ryutei Tanehiko and illustrated by Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), that was published between 1829-1842. This story reworks elements from the 'Tale of Genji' and transposes the action from the Heian period (794-1185) to the time of the Muromachi era's Onin Wars (1467-1477).
Artist / maker
Kunisada I (Toyokuni III)
Date
1853
Size
27.9 x 19.8 cm
Type
Location
Art and Design Library
Rights and purchasing
Option
Price
Digital FileElectronic file 72 dpi JPEG
£5.80(inc. VAT 20%)
Digital FileElectronic File 300 dpi TIFF
£29.40(inc. VAT 20%)
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