Genji Crossing the Oi River

This woodblock print depicts two richly-dressed Japanese courtesans either side of Prince Genji seated at the edge of a river, produced by the Japanese woodblock artist Utagawa Yoshitora and published by Izumiya Ichibei in Tokyo, Japan, in October 1862. It is possibly the central panel of an original triptych; a work of art comprised of three distinct panels.The scene is a Genji-e or Mitate-e; a parody illustration of the original Genji story. A popular subject for many Japanese print artists in the nineteenth century, 'The Tale of Genji', the classical Japanese novel by Lady Murasaki Shikibu of the late Heian period (794-1185 AD), detailed the lengthy, often complex love adventures of the novel's central character, Prince Genji. The story spawned many parodies, illustrations of which were also prevalent and often termed mitate-e.In this image, two female courtesans are seen either side of Prince Genji, seated beside the banks of a river, possibly the Oi River. In the river are two topless labourers, who - in the Edo period in Japan - were often used to carry people across rivers in the absence of bridges. Bridges were rarely built across major rivers during the Edo period for military reasons, and the Oi River was renowned as one of the more difficult rivers to cross.