Incense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from The Tale of Genji

Incense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from The Tale of Genji

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This incense box in the shape of two interlocking shells imitates the painted clamshells used in the shell-matching game (kai-awase). The scene here refers to Chapter 42, “The Fragrant Prince” (Nioumiya). Publicly recognized as Genji’s son, Kaoru has doubts about the circumstances of his birth. A poem voiced by him is inscribed in fine gold lines within stylized clouds: Whom might I ask? Why must it be that I do not know the beginning or the end? —Translation by Edward G. Seidensticker

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Incense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from The Tale of GenjiIncense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from The Tale of GenjiIncense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from The Tale of GenjiIncense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from The Tale of GenjiIncense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from The Tale of Genji

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.