Written in the 11th century by a woman, the poet Murasaki Shikibu, “The Tale of Genji” has generated an extremely rich iconography over the past thousand years, influencing even contemporary mangaka.

This event exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in ancient Japan, discovering the Heian period (794-1185) and its court art. This period of freedom for women, with particularly rich artistic production, notably saw the emergence of a unique women's literature in Japanese history.

“The Tale of Genji” ( Genji monogatari ) is today considered the most emblematic work of classical Japanese literature. Through a subtle evocation of all the refinements of the imperial court, it opens the way to exceptional pictorial creativity and gives rise to an extremely rich iconography: prints, fabrics, kimonos, sculptures, paintings and precious objects, including lacquer boxes of an illustrious collector, Marie-Antoinette.

A founding novel for Japanese culture, “The Tale of Genji” continues to inspire contemporary artistic expressions, such as manga, which reinterpret its codes and themes. The most famous is undoubtedly Asaki yume mishi from Waki ​​Yamato (born in 1948). The recent edition of Sean Michael Wilson (2022), illustrated by Inko Ai Takita, will be presented in this exhibition.

The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to Itarô Yamaguchi (1901-2007), master weaver from the Nishijin district of Kyoto, and author of four scrolls illustrating the Tale of Genji , representing the culmination of a life devoted to weaving. Made from painted scrolls from the Heian period, and by hybridization with the high technicality of Western Jacquard mechanics and its digital avatar, the four exceptional scrolls are shown for the first time together and unfolded in their entirety.

Curator: Aurélie Samuel, heritage curator