The Hanachirusato Chapter from "The Tale of Genji" (Genji Hanachirusato), from a series of Genji parodies c. 1710

Okumura Masanobu created this woodblock print, "The Hanachirusato Chapter from 'The Tale of Genji'", in Japan during the Edo period, a time of relative peace and flourishing arts. Masanobu cleverly uses parody to make the elite world of "The Tale of Genji" accessible to a wider audience. At first glance, we see a domestic scene: a woman tending to a man’s hair. But Masanobu is playing with gender roles and class expectations. The man's hairstyle and robes suggest high status, yet he is being attended to by a woman, in a reversal of typical gender roles of the time. The setting, a simple room overlooking a garden, hints at a life of leisure, but it's a far cry from the opulence described in "The Tale of Genji". The humor in this piece isn’t just about poking fun at a classic; it's about bringing it down to earth, inviting viewers to laugh at the foibles of the elite. It suggests a shift in cultural values, where the stories of the aristocracy are reinterpreted through the lens of everyday life. The print speaks to the enduring power of stories and how they can be reshaped to reflect the changing realities of society, inviting both laughter and reflection.