Painting the Tale from a Thousand Years Ago

Hiroshi Senju, who has once again introduced the beauty of Japanese painting to the world with his ethereal "Waterfall" series and other works, now turns his attention to "The Tale of Genji." This timeless masterpiece, penned by Murasaki Shikibu a millennium ago, explores the depths of human love and essence, and has been read for centuries.


Senju states, "I want to paint the story itself from a thousand years ago, not just traces of it." His chosen motif for this endeavor is the sky. He has rendered all 57 chapters—the original 54, plus the three mythical chapters such as "Kumogakure" (Hidden by Clouds) and "Kagami no Hi no Miya" (The Prince of the Shining Sun)—through the depiction of the sky.


This work, limited to just 90 copies worldwide, was conceived to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Shogakukan's founding. It comprises three 9-meter-long scrolls housed in a special metal cylinder crafted using techniques also employed in rocket manufacturing. This is accompanied by a framed print from Inoue Hakuzando, the framer for Senju's works, and includes commentary in both Japanese and English. Each of the three scrolls and the framed print bears Senju's personal signature and edition number.

Tsutaya Books to Host Exhibition and Senju's Talk Show

To celebrate the release of "Hiroshi Senju: The Tale of Genji," the gallery within the lounge "Anjin" at Daikanyama Tsutaya Books will feature a special preview of the collected works until Sunday, July 29th. Concurrently, a charity auction will be held to benefit the recovery efforts following the Great East Japan Earthquake, alongside an exhibition and sale of "Falling Colors," one of Senju's representative works.Great East Japan Earthquakewill also take place.

"Hiroshi Senju: The Tale of Genji"

Contents | Three scrolls, one framed print, Japanese and English commentary

Price | ¥945,000


Tsutaya Books

17-5 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Tel. 03-3770-2525