Young shoots / Wakana

This print is number 35 in the series “54 Passions in the Present.”

The title of the chapter “Wakana” from The Tale of Genji refers to some cherished tender shoots that his adopted daughter Tamakazura gave to Genji. For this reason, the print depicts a kitchen scene, in which they are preparing vegetable soup. This chapter is also famous for Genji's marriage to a new, young wife, the Third Princess. In this marriage, ill-fated due to the large age difference, Genji rarely visited her chambers. On one of the few occasions he did, so that she wouldn't leave him stranded, he recited this poem to her:

At dusk
the path is terrifying
Why don't you wait

for the moon to rise
and watch you?

Following the poem is a gloss, signed by Manjūtei, which reads:

“What peace comes from knowing how to cultivate tender shoots!”

David Almazán. Exhibition "Prints of Prince Genji", Red Itiner 2023