The Plum Tree Branch (Umegae), Calligraphic Excerpt from Chapter 32 of the Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari) c. 1509 - 1510

Curator: Konoe Hisamichi, a figure of the early Edo period, rendered this intimate calligraphic excerpt, "The Plum Tree Branch," drawn from Chapter 32 of the Tale of Genji. Editor: It feels like a secret, doesn't it? The strokes dance like whispers, a fleeting moment captured. I see the dragon motif, so powerful, yet subdued in this miniature world. Curator: Indeed. The Tale of Genji was frequently referenced in art and culture. This work would have been originally part of an album leaf, and the dragons are typical of the period's ornamentation. Editor: It’s funny, isn’t it? We frame art, we hang it—but this invites you to hold it in your hands, to trace the ink with your fingertip, to imagine the artist's breath as they wrote. It makes the text come alive. Curator: It gives it a personal scale and context, to a narrative that’s part of a larger cultural history. Editor: Exactly. You get a glimpse of intimacy and tradition all in one.