“First Song of Spring” (Hatsune)
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This freestanding screen (tsuitate) demonstrates how Genji imagery was used on interior furnishings. Metal fittings bearing the Tokugawa family crests indicate that it likely formed part of a prestigious wedding dowry set. The painting shows Genji visiting his daughter, the Akashi Princess, who has received from her mother, the Akashi Lady, gifts of New Year’s delicacies, seedling pines, and a poem in which she laments not hearing “the warbler’s first song.” Genji urges the Akashi Princess to respond to her mother, from whom she has been separated. While this screen does not have Kano Seisen’in Osanobu’s signature or seal, comparisons with signed works strongly suggest that it was either by him or an artist working directly under his supervision.
Artwork Details
- 伝狩野晴川院養信筆 源氏物語図衝立 「初音」
- Title: “First Song of Spring” (Hatsune)
- Artist: Kano Seisen'in Osanobu (Japanese, 1796–1846)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: 19th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Freestanding (partitioning) screen; ink, color, gold, and silver on paper
- Dimensions: H. 46 1/16 × W. 37 × D. 14 15/16 in. (117 × 94 × 38 cm)
- Classification: Screens
- Credit Line: Lent by Ishiyamadera Temple
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art