10 / AMAM.OBERLIN.EDU ON VIEW / RIPIN GALLERY / AUG 22–MAY 24 SHINING PRINTS: THE TALE OF GENJI REIMAGINED IN JAPAN The Tale of Genji, written in the early 11th century, is considered the world’s first novel. Composed by Murasaki Shikibu, a woman of the imperial court during the Heian period (794–1185), the masterpiece chronicles the romantic and political life of the fictional Prince Genji and spans multiple generations. In Japanese visual arts, The Tale of Genji has been reimagined through paintings, prints, and book illustrations. The earliest representations appeared just a century after the text itself, in illustrated handscroll paintings characterized by delicate brushwork, vibrant colors, and subtle ways of presenting the narrative. By the Edo period (1603–1868), and with rising literacy, the novel’s popularity spread beyond aristocratic and samurai elites to literate urban townspeople, or chōnin 町人. The era saw a flowering of Genji imagery in popular art forms like ukiyo-e woodblock prints and illustrated books. This exhibition celebrates the visual legacy of The Tale of Genji through two modes of artistic interpretation. The first features prints that reflect the style of the earliest 12th-century illustrations. The second reveals how 18th– 19th-century artists boldly recontextualized the tale’s characters and themes into their contemporary settings. Organized by Kevin R. E. Greenwood, Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art, with assistance fromYe Yuan, Assistant Professor of Japanese and East Asian Studies ON VIEW / RIPIN GALLERY / AUG 22–MAY 24 FROM PAGE TO STAGE: KABUKI’S HEROIC HISTORY PLAYS IN JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTS This exhibition explores how Japan’s epic war tales were transformed into popular kabuki theater performances known as jidaimono 時代物, or “history plays,” as documented through woodblock prints from the Edo period (1603–1868) to the 20th century. These prints and books reveal how historical narratives—particularly The Tale of the Heike, The Revenge of the Soga Brothers, and The Chronicle of Yoshitsune—were adapted for the stage, creating unique artistic expressions of these historical sagas, often with many elements reimagined for dramatic effect. Also featured are depictions of Chūshingura, or The Treasury of Loyal Retainers. This revenge story of the 47 rōnin—based on an early 18th-century incident but set in medieval times to avoid government censorship—was frequently performed alongside older military tales. The woodblock prints showcase kabuki’s rich visual language. Elaborate sets and gorgeous costumes provided the backdrop for actors who, through intense training, mastered stylizedmovements and formal gestures to bring historical figures to life. For many people in Japan who lived far from urban theaters or could not afford tickets, these prints offered a rare glimpse of kabuki’s spectacular visual world while simultaneously shaping how these early modern audiences understood their history. Organized by Kevin R. E. Greenwood, Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art, with assistance fromAnn Sherif, Professor of Japanese and East Asian Studies
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