Secondary sourcePainting12th century, c. 1130

Genji Emaki, Yadorigi Chapter Scene

Imperial court painters, Kyoto (traditionally attributed to Fujiwara Takayoshi) · 12th century, c. 1130

A twelfth-century handscroll fragment illustrating the Yadorigi (Mistletoe) chapter of Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji, among the oldest surviving illustrations of her text.

One of the earliest surviving illustrated versions of Murasaki Shikibu's novel, made not long after her lifetime.

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Detail of a Heian-period painted handscroll in gold-toned background: two figures seated on a veranda under green-patterned railings, one in grey robes holding a fan, the other in pale robes; diagonal wooden architecture and a sparse plant at left. — Imperial court painters, Kyoto, Genji Emaki, Yadorigi chapter scene, 12th century (c. 1130). Tokugawa Art Museum.

About this source

What it is

This is a fragment of a twelfth-century painted handscroll illustrating the "Yadorigi" (Mistletoe) chapter of the Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu. It was made at the imperial court in Kyoto; it was once attributed to the painter Fujiwara Takayoshi but is now thought to be the work of several groups of Heian-period painters. The scroll was later cut into sections and mounted for conservation. It is kept at the Tokugawa Art Museum in Japan.

Why it matters

This is one of the oldest surviving painted versions of Murasaki Shikibu's novel, created not long after her own lifetime. It shows how quickly her story became an important subject for court painters, and it offers a rare glimpse of how Heian-period artists imagined the world she described.

Look closer

What does the architecture and clothing in the painting tell you about the setting?
Why might several different painters have worked on one scroll?
What is lost when a long handscroll is cut into separate sections?

This painting 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.