National Imagination

Excerpts from "Japanese Aesthetics as Seen Through the Trail of Genji" Visual Culture Project
Allison Trulli '05 and Eleni Vidalis '05

This particular hand scroll seems to depict a tranquil scene, yet, upon further inspection, it reveals emotional turbulence by subtle and effective means. While there is no emotional distress visible on the faces of the characters, the psychological isolation is symbolized by the silk room dividers, which are placed to form cells of separate emotion, and the ribbons placed on them. Together with the sharply tilted ground plane, these elements serve to heighten the tension of the scene.	Kashiwagi I (detail from The Tale of Genji). Handscroll: ink and colours on paper. Early 12th century. Click to enlarge

The game of go is one of the many elements of popular Japanese culture. This game was created in China, however it was assimilated into Japanese culture, and played widely even in the time of Murasaki. Although the game was not created for the Tale of Genji it has remained as a prominent part of the culture. Just as the Japanese hold on to the Tale of Genji, they also hold on to some aspects of the culture of that time.	Prints by Kunisada, signing as Toykuni III, published 1851-52 Click to enlarge

The Tale of Genji is a critical component of Japanese culture, this is evident in the fact that through the years artists chose to depict scenes from this epic tale. It has by now become a "standard" in every Japanese artist’s portfolio. These mid-18th century scrolls, exemplify the change in painting techniques over the years. Art of this time period had come to be much more simplistic and more obscure at the same time. The overbearing clouds add a certain dimension of mystery, while obscuring parts of the scene in order to focus the attention on what is visible.	Click to enlarge