Author: Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞) here as Toyokuni (豊国).
Subject: Niō no miya (匂宮).
Series: Fifty four scenes from Genji (Genji gojūyon chō, 源氏五十四帖).
Number: 42/54.
Genre: Genji-e (源氏絵).
Size: medium (chūban, 中判) 25,1cm x 17,9cm (9,88 x 7,04 inches).
Publisher: Tōkokudō/Kiritanidō (桐谷堂).
Period: c. 1852.
Trimmed: no
Backed: no
Code: UKSI01023
Condition: moderate color retention with some areas showing signs of fading. Visible are minor stains and shadows which mildly affect the visual appeal.
There are no obvious creases or wrinkles, and the print does not show any significant damage or repairs, indicating good preservation overall.
The chapter starkly announces the death of Genji, who had recently become a monk, with a brief and somber statement. At court, no one matches Genji,
but his heirs in charm are believed to be Kaoru (薫) and Niou (匂). Kaoru, raised by Ryozen (了然) and Akikonomu (章子) but deeply attached to his monastic
mother Nyōsan (女山), harbors suspicions about the murky circumstances of his birth, leading to his melancholic and solitary nature. He is distinguished by
a natural fragrance emanating from him without the use of perfumes.
Niou, a favored son of the Fourth Emperor and the Princess of Akashi (明石の姫), shares a complex friendship and rivalry with Kaoru. Following Genji's death,
the Lady of the Falling Flowers continued living in his quarters until her own demise, while the Lady of Akashi managed Genji`s estates in place of Yugiri.
Yugiri remains torn between Ochiba and Kumoi, the latter having returned to her husband, all the while nostalgically recalling Murasaki, who had always captivated him.
Among the new generation, prominent are the Crown Prince and the First Princess, children of the Fourth Emperor and the Princess of Akashi, siblings to Niou; Ichi no Miya
(一の宮), Ryozen's sole heir through Lady Chujo, and Roku no Kimi (六の君), daughter of Yugiri and Koremitsu`s daughter, but entrusted to Ochiba.