Kyoto  The Millennium of the Tale of Genji, April 26 – June 8

Cultural News, March 2008

Tosa Mitsunori (1583-1638) Album of The Tale of Genji: Tamakazura (The Jeweled Chaplet) (Courtesy of the Museum of Kyoto)

    To commemorate the Millennium of the Tale of Genji, the Museum of Kyoto (Kyoto Bunka Hakubutsukan) in Kyoto, Japan, will present a special exhibition from April 26 through June 8. Over 180 artworks such as paintings, books and artifacts, including over 40 national treasures and important cultural properties will be on view.

   Written at the beginning of the eleventh century by one of Japan’s foremost woman writers, Murasaki Shikibu, the Tale of Genji features a dazzling array of characters, imaginative plotting, an elegantly expressive narrative, and some of the most beautiful usage ever seen of the Japanese language.

   The Museum of Kyoto is lacated at Sanjo-Takakura, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, www.bunpaku.or.jp  Closed on Monday. Special exhibition hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission are 1,300 yen for adult.