Skip to content

Red Plum Blossoms, Chapter 43 (Kobai)

Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), 1853, Wood cut
Red Plum Blossoms, Chapter 43 (Kobai)
Red Plum Blossoms, Chapter 43 (Kobai)
Red Plum Blossoms, Chapter 43 (Kobai)
Share
Category
Library Item
Item no
16238
Title
Red Plum Blossoms, Chapter 43 (Kobai) from the series "A Modern Collection of Genji in Colour Prints" ("Ima Genji nishiki-e awase")
Description
In this image, a man standing on the walkway raises a lantern and watches Mitsuuji (Genji) as he plays a koto. Mitsuuji is seated on a floor cushion with the instrument across his lap. Mitsuuji can be recognised by his lobster tail topknot which has been bound with a purple cord. A small plate of food and a bottle of wine stand on the floor in front of him. Behind Mitsuuji there is a candle stand and a folding screen. Both men are fashionably dressed and wear floral patterned kimono and trousers (hakama) woven using a 'kasuri' dyed thread technique. Blossom is visible through the open doorway.

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%)
You can view and use digital images for personal and educational use. For more information, read our policy on image use. If you wish to use our images for commercial use, please contact us.