Tale of Genji Anatomy Book

The princess is a cat, the gentleman a dog... This book gives you a complete understanding of the plot of The Tale of Genji and the lives and feelings of the Heian people.

A thorough dissection of all 54 chapters of The Tale of Genji! In addition to providing an easy-to-understand explanation of the story as a whole, it also provides detailed information on the lives, customs, culture, and beliefs of the imperial family and aristocrats of the time. The story depicts a fierce power struggle, and readers can also learn about history by comparing it with the social situation of the time.

The magazine also features illustrations of representative picture scrolls from each chapter, introducing their appeal. Readers will also gain a clear understanding of the scenes, items, and methods of expression that influenced subsequent Japanese art.

The Genji paintings that depicted The Tale of Genji were considered fascinating when they differed from the original, such as when the Third Princess was portrayed as a prostitute during the Edo period. In this book, popular illustrator Ito Hamster has humorously portrayed the characters as cats and dogs. This is also a must-see as a Genji illustration for the Reiwa era.

■Chapter Structure Volume 1: Understanding the Tale of Genji through Characters Volume 2: Understanding the Tale of Genji through Data Volume 3: Understanding Japanese Art through the Tale of Genji Part 1: The Young Genji (1 Kiritsubo to 33 Fuji no Uraba) Part 2: The Old Genji (34 Wakana no Ue to 41 Maboroshi) Part 3: Genji's Descendants (42 Nioumiya to 54 Yume no Ukihashi)