Kagerou　蜻蛉

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

A pictorial subject taken from "The Drake Fly" Kagerou (also translated as Dayfly or Mayfly), Chapter 52 of GENJI MONOGATARI 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji). *Ukifune 浮舟 is presumed to have drowned herself in the river over her inability to resolve her choice between Kaoru 薫 (see *Kashiwagi 柏木) and Prince Niou *Niou no Miya 匂宮. Empress Akashi, Akashi no Chuuguu 明石中宮 commissions a reading of the Lotus Sutra at the Rokujou 六条 mansion, where Kaoru becomes attracted to the First Princess, Onna Ichinomiya 女一宮, Niou's elder sister. Meanwhile Niou falls in love with the daughter of the late Prince Shikibu, Shikibukyou no Miya 式部卿宮. Scenes frequently chosen for illustration include: 1 in the Fifth Month, Kaoru breaks off a branch of orange blossoms tachibana 橘 to send to Naka no kimi 中君 as a cuckoo hototogisu 時鳥 cries overhead; 2 in the Sixth Month at the Rokujou mansion, Kaoru spies on the First Princess who is dressed in a white gossamer robe and red trousers as she and her ladies are chipping away at a large block of ice; 3 at the end of summer, Kaoru disturbs several ladies who are at calligraphy practice; they flee, leaving several sprays of flowers on the lid of a writing box.

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*genji-e 源氏絵

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