Tale of Genji Scroll
This hand scroll depicts the first sixteen chapters of the Tale of Genji, a fifty-four chapter epic novel written by Murasaki Shikubu (about 973-1030). The story follows the life and loves of Prince Genji, the son of the emperor and his favorite concubine, Kiritsubo. Although fictional, the Tale of Genji is taken to be an accurate representation of aristocratic life in the middle of the Heian period (794-1195).