Sekiya and Miotsukushi Chapters of The Tale of Genji

What it is

This is a six-panel folding screen painted with ink and color on paper over a gold-leaf background, made by the artist Tawaraya Sōtatsu in 1631 during Japan's Edo period. It illustrates the Sekiya chapter from The Tale of Genji, showing a gold landscape with pine trees, a curving path, an ox-drawn carriage, robed courtiers, a boat, and a gate. The screen has been designated a National Treasure of Japan.

Why it matters

The screen was made centuries after Murasaki Shikibu wrote her novel, but it shows how deeply her story shaped later Japanese art and culture. Sōtatsu, a major Edo-period painter, chose scenes from her work to decorate luxury screens, proving the lasting popularity and prestige of her storytelling long after her lifetime.

Look closer

• What details in the painting tell you this is a scene from a story rather than a real historical event?
• Why might an artist centuries later still choose to illustrate this particular novel?
• What does the use of gold and fine detail suggest about who owned or viewed such screens?