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Secondary sourceBookJanuary 1751

Ehon Genji Monogatari

Terai Shosen · January 1751

An illustrated 1751 printed book retelling scenes from Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji.

This 18th-century printed book illustrates Murasaki Shikibu's novel, showing its continued popularity centuries after she wrote it.

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Open page spread of a Japanese woodblock-printed book. Left page has columns of vertical cursive text beside an illustration of a seated figure in dark robes near a screen. Right page shows two seated figures in a room with patterned walls, one holding a fan, with calligraphy and a small pine motif above.
Terai Shosen, Ehon Genji Monogatari, 1751. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This is a three-volume illustrated printed book made in Japan in 1751, created by Terai Shosen. It uses woodblock printing to combine text and pictures illustrating scenes from the Tale of Genji. It is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The Tale of Genji was written centuries earlier by Murasaki Shikibu. This 18th-century printed book shows how far her story had traveled by then, reaching readers through mass-produced books rather than handwritten scrolls.

Look closer

  • How does printing a book differ from hand-painting a scroll?
  • What does the pairing of text and image suggest about how readers experienced the story?
  • Why might this story still be popular over 700 years after it was written?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Murasaki Shikibu on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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