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Japanese Six Panel Screen: Famous Scene from Lady Murasaki’s Tale of Genji

Tosa School painting showing Lady Murasaki and the Genji on Lake Biwa with the Higashiyama Hills in the distance and surrounding area of Kyoto. Ladies make a giant snowball in the court yard of an imperial residence (with a Japanese screen inside). The Tale of Genji is sometimes referred to as the world’s first novel. It was written in the 11th century by Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman, in a combination of poetry, prose, and journal-like writing. The book is about a fictional Prince of Genji and his seductions and romances as an aristocrat in Heian era (794 – 1185) Japan. Mineral pigments on mulberry paper with silk brocade border.