Parody of “Evening Faces

Catalog note / 解説

This visual parody updates the famous scene from the fourth chapter of The Tale of Genji's “Evening Faces” (Yügao) to Edo period customs. The classical poem and its response have been transformed into the exchange of love letters between a young boy and girl. The witty design is quite amusing: Genji's oxcart and servant have been cleverly transformed into a young attendant carrying an insect cage. This kind of visual parody of classical stories is called mitate. Scenes from well-known classical stories are often depicted with Edo style aesthetics. This humorous style vulgarizes classical stories and relies heavily upon visual symbols and wordplay. Symbolic items included different kinds of…