Section of an Illustrated Tale of Genji Poetry Contest1400s · Study 1989.119

Context from the museum

This hanging scroll was once part of a handscroll depicting a waka (thirty-one syllable verse) poetry contest between characters from the 11th-century literary classic Tale of Genji . In this section, a woman known informally as Kumoi no kari, or “Goose in Fog,” after a lovelorn line she hums in the novel, is pitted against Higekuro no taishō, or “General Blackbeard.” Three of his poems, numbered 46 to 48, from “The Handsome Pillar” chapter appear over his image. The subsequent three poems inscribed above Kumoi no kari are presented as her “responses,” and come from "The Plum Tree Branch", “New Wisteria Leaves”, and "Evening Mist" chapters.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

General Blackbeard laments having smelly ash poured upon him by his angry wife in one of the poems.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected image measurement for Section of an Illustrated Tale of Genji Poetry Contest is 39.9 cm wide and 14.4 cm high, equivalent to approximately 15.7 × 5.7 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 2.77:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.06 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 13.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 130.1 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Section of an Illustrated Tale of Genji Poetry Contest in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, section of a handscroll mounted as a hanging scroll; ink on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 39.9 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?