About This Print
In chapter 53, Practicing Penmanship, Ukifune is found alive by disciples of the bishop of Yokawa. Ukifune has no memory of the time before being stopped from committing suicide and her being found. Though she is taken in by the bishop's nuns who treat her kindly, she remains forlorn.
Source: Genji gojūshijō 源氏五十四帖, published by Shin Kōbe Shinbunsha, 1974.
On moonlit nights the bishop's sister would sometimes take out a koto and a nun called Shosho would join in with a lute...
As she [Ukifune] watched these elderly people beguiling the tedium with music, she thought of her own lot. Never from the outset had she been among those privileged to seek consolation in quiet, tasteful pleasures; and so she had grown to womanhood with not a single accomplishment to boast of. Her stars had not been kind to her. She took up a brush and, by way of writing practice, set down a poem:
"Into a torrent of tears I flung myself,
And who put up the sluice that held me back?"
It had been cruel of them to save her. The future filled her with dread.
This collection's print maintains its original explanation overlay (shown below) and matting.
Explanation Overlay for IHL Cat. #2521
click on image to enlarge
For an excellent introduction to The Tale of Genji see Penguin's "Short Summary of the Tale" at https://www.penguin.com/static/packages/us/taleofgenji/introduction3.php
About The Album
For information about the album please go to Hahakigi (chapter 2) from the album Illustrations for Genji monogatari in Fifty-Four Wood-Cut Prints on this site.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #2520 |
| Title or Description |  variously translated as Writing-Practice, The Writing Practice, Practicing Calligraphy, Practice with the Brush |
| Series | Illustrations for Genji monogatari in Fifty-Four Wood-Cut Prints 木版画源氏五十四帖 Mokuhanga Genji gojūyonjō |
| Artist | Ebina Masao (1913-1980) |
| Signature | not signed |
| Seal | 正夫 Masao |
| Publication Date | 1953 or after (originally issued 1953; multiple editions are known) |
| Publisher | Yamada Shoin 山田書院 |
| Carver | carving supervised by Yoshio Kawamo [Kawatsura Yoshio 川面義雄 (1880-1963)] |
| Printer | |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | excellent |
| Genre | genji-e |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | ōban |
| H x W Paper | (with mat and overlay): 10 3/16 x 13 3/4 in. (25.9 x 34.9 cm) (print only): 9 3/16 x 12 11/16 in. (23.5 x 32.5 cm) |
| H x W Image | 8 3/16 x 11 7/8 (20.8 x 30.2 cm) |
| Collections This Print | Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College 2009.1.16; University of Kansas Libraries KU Bib ID: 4123242 (entire portfolio; images not shown); National Diet Library Call Number 913.36-E17g-K (entire portfolio dated 1958; images not shown) |
| Reference Literature | |
6/22/2021 created
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