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The Fireflies (Hotaru) Chapter 25

Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), 1853, Wood cut
The Fireflies (Hotaru) Chapter 25
The Fireflies (Hotaru) Chapter 25
The Fireflies (Hotaru) Chapter 25
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Category
Library Item
Item no
16218
Title
The Fireflies (Hotaru) Chapter 25 from the series "A Modern Collection of Genji in Colour Prints" ("Ima Genji nishiki-e awase")
Description
This print depicts a woman kneeling beside a low bamboo screen surrounded by fireflies. She shields her face from the light with a fan decorated with Genji-mon, a pattern made from incense sticks arranged to correspond with a particular chapter from Murasaki's 'Tale of Genji'. The woman wears a blue kimono decorated with grape vines, and a red starburst patterned obi belt. In front of her is the little box from which the fireflies have escaped. Behind the screen Mitsuuji (Genji) peers closely at the woman, as if to examine her face in the light of the fireflies. Mitsuuji wears a purple outer kimono decorated with a crest and a pale blue under kimono. In his hands he holds a closed fan.
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​
£7.32(inc. VAT 20%)
Digital FileElectronic File 300 dpi TIFF​
£37.20(inc. VAT 20%)
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