Artwork
幻の源氏物語絵巻 「葵」|“Leaves of Wild Ginger” (Aoi), from the Phantom Genji Scrolls (Maboroshi no Genji monogatari emaki)
幻の源氏物語絵巻 「葵」|“Leaves of Wild Ginger” (Aoi), from the Phantom Genji Scrolls (Maboroshi no Genji monogatari emaki) is an ink painting. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This handscroll fragment, titled “Leaves of Wild Ginger” (Aoi), originates from the largely lost Phantom Genji Scrolls.
- Accession no.
- 12.134.11
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1912
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The handscroll titled "Leaves of Wild Ginger" (Aoi) belongs to the Phantom Genji series and was produced around 1650 in Japan.
The handscroll titled "Leaves of Wild Ginger" (Aoi) belongs to the Phantom Genji series and was produced around 1650 in Japan. It portrays a ceremonial gathering that includes a funeral procession. The depiction draws on motifs from The Tale of Genji, using the wild ginger leaf as a visual reference to the Aoi chapter, suggesting themes of transience and courtly ritual.
Executed in ink, color and gold on paper, the work is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
Technique & Style
The work is a handscroll executed in ink, polychrome pigments and gold leaf on paper, dating to 1650 and produced in Japan. Its support is a paper substrate typical of Edo-period emaki, and the piece is handled as a traditional narrative scroll, unrolled section by section. The painting portrays a ceremony, a crowd and a funeral, rendered with delicate ink outlines, layered washes of color and selective gilding that emphasize narrative moments.
Stylistically it follows the narrative handscroll format, employing sequential visual storytelling and a muted palette punctuated by gold accents, characteristic of anonymous Japanese painterly practice in the mid-17th century. The work is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
History & Provenance
The handscroll titled "Leaves of Wild Ginger" (Aoi), part of the Phantom Genji Scrolls, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, created in 1650 by an anonymous artist using ink, color, and gold on paper, is cataloged within the museum's holdings of Japanese paintings. No exhibition history is documented in the current sources.
Overview
This handscroll fragment, titled “Leaves of Wild Ginger” (Aoi), originates from the largely lost Phantom Genji Scrolls. Executed with ink, color, and gold on paper, the painting depicts a long, narrow scene populated by numerous small figures. They are shown in black robes, transporting a white-draped litter through a forest rendered with gold leaf.
The trees appear bare, yet a few green leaves of wild ginger are visible at the base, providing a key visual detail within the composition.
Artist & collection
- Scenes from the Tale of Genji
源氏物語画帖「玉鬘」|“A Lovely Garland” (Tamakazura), from The Tale of Genji
Scenes from the Tale of Genji
Scenes from the Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji
源氏物語図屏風 (胡蝶)|“Butterflies”
秋夜長物語絵巻断簡|The Final Scene from A Long Tale for an Autumn Night (Aki no yonaga monogatari)
The Tale of Genji
