Scenes from the Tale of Genji

Three scenes from Lady Murasaki's famous novel, the Tale of Genji, are illustrated here. Arranged counterclockwise from the lower right corner they represent "Butterflies" (Chapter 24), with the festivities in Murasaki's spring garden including boats afloat on the large lake and young girls dressed as birds and butterflies; "The Royal Outing" (Chapter 29) with an imperial hunting party on a snowy winter day; and "New Herbs II" (Chapter 35), with a concert given by Genji's ladies, including Murasaki, the Crown Princess (leaning on an armrest) and the Akashi Lady.