Collection of Pictures of Beauties (Prince Genji visits Empress Kokiden)

Catalog note / 解説

Literature has been enjoyed in Japan since ancient times, yet traditionally only the upper class had access to it. This changed in the Edo period (mid-seventeenth century), as the publishing business flourished and the masses gained access to a wide variety of illustrated books, which helped to spread the classics to the common people. Hishikawa Moronobu (?-1694) produced over 150 illustrated books. He also worked in the genre of e-zukushi (literally, “a pile of illustrations”), illustrated stories built around themes such as the occupations of Edo men, nature, famous women, and novels including The Tale of Genji. This print is a good example of e-zukushi, and comes from a booklet titled Bi…