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The Cressets (Kagaribi) Chapter 27

Kunisada I (Toyokuni III), 1853, Wood cut
The Cressets (Kagaribi) Chapter 27
The Cressets (Kagaribi) Chapter 27
The Cressets (Kagaribi) Chapter 27
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Category
Library Item
Item no
16220
Title
The Cressets (Kagaribi) Chapter 27 from the series "A Modern Collection of Genji in Colour Prints" ("Ima Genji nishiki-e awase")
Description
A woman dressed in a blue kimono with a grapevine and peony pattern is shown crouched at Mitsuuji's (Genji's) side. She holds up her sleeve to hide her face from the glow of the cresset. The woman wears elaborate golden hairpins (kogai) and has wooden clogs on her feet (geta). Mitsuuji is dressed in a pale grey outer kimono and a red under kimono. They are both depicted by the river's edge and the cresset is positioned upon a low table stood in the water. The wash of grey ink in the background suggests that it is evening.
In the top right hand cover is the outline of a lantern that contains an image of a man playing a koto for his female companion. This inset is a direct reference to Murasaki's 'Tale of Genji'. The court dress that these figures are wearing and the inclusion of a standing curtain indicates to the viewer that this scene takes place in the Heian period.

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​
£6.10(inc. VAT 20%)
Digital FileElectronic File 300 dpi TIFF​
£31.00(inc. VAT 20%)
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