Scene from the Tale of Genji (Hana No En, “Festival of the Cherry Blossoms”)

The eleventh-century novel The Tale of Genji was a favorite subject for many Japanese artists, offering a chance to depict emotional stories in an idealized, antique setting. This painting illustrates an episode that takes place during cherry blossom season, as indicated by white flowers on some of the surrounding trees. The protagonist, Prince Genji, accosts a woman late at night, assuming that she will gladly have sex with him. He later discovers that she is the daughter of a rival. He is shown placing his hand on her shoulder—a gesture that would have been read as blatantly sexual and aggressive during this period, when men and women were rarely depicted touching.