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The Tale of Genji Handscrolls

Tanaka Shinbi Japanese

1926–35

Not on view

Among the oldest and most revered manuscripts of the tale, the Illustrated Tale of Genji Scrolls is a National Treasure now preserved at the Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya and the Gotoh Museum in Tokyo. One of the greatest endeavors in modern times to copy the original Genji Scrolls was carried out by Tanaka Shinbi, renowned for his meticulous hand-painted reproductions of various National Treasures of Japanese painting and calligraphy. Between 1926 and 1935, he worked on a meticulous copy of the Tokugawa scrolls (shown here).

Shinbi earned accolades for his revival  and mastery of ancient paper-decoration and painting techniques, long thought to be lost, and had a major impact on Nihonga painters working on traditional themes.

The Tale of Genji Handscrolls, Tanaka Shinbi (Japanese, 1875–1975), Handscroll; paintings: ink and color on paper; calligraphy: ink on paper with gold and silver decoration, Japan — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

The Tale of Genji Handscrolls, Tanaka Shinbi (Japanese, 1875–1975), Handscroll; paintings: ink and color on paper; calligraphy: ink on paper with gold and silver decoration, Japan

The Tale of Genji Handscrolls, Tanaka Shinbi (Japanese, 1875–1975), Handscroll; paintings: ink and color on paper; calligraphy: ink on paper with gold and silver decoration, Japan

The Tale of Genji Handscrolls, Tanaka Shinbi (Japanese, 1875–1975), Handscroll; paintings: ink and color on paper; calligraphy: ink on paper with gold and silver decoration, Japan

The Tale of Genji Handscrolls, Tanaka Shinbi (Japanese, 1875–1975), Handscroll; paintings: ink and color on paper; calligraphy: ink on paper with gold and silver decoration, Japan

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This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

田中親美筆源氏物語絵巻

Title: The Tale of Genji Handscrolls

Artist: Tanaka Shinbi (Japanese, 1875–1975)

Period: Taishō (1912–26)–Shōwa (1926–89) period

Date: 1926–35

Culture: Japan

Medium: Handscroll; paintings: ink and color on paper; calligraphy: ink on paper with gold and silver decoration

Dimensions: Image: H. 8 9/16 in. (21.8 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Lent by Tokugawa Art Museum

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Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.