![Utagawa Kuniaki II, 春色家賀多の獅子舞 [三枚続きのうち左], 1861](https://iiif.micr.io/FORuS/full/2000,/0/default.webp)
De Genji artist
The text of Tanehiko’s Genji was illustrated by renowned artist Kunisada. The series achieved enormous commercial success.
In 1838, Kunisada therefore also started designing individual prints imbued with the story of Genji. It was precisely these prints that Van Gogh selected from the stocks of art trader Bing.
![Utagawa Kunisada, 花源氏夜の俤 [三枚続き], 1861](https://iiif.micr.io/bpwQw/full/2000,/0/default.webp)
Utagawa Kunisada, 花源氏夜の俤 [三枚続き], 1861
Utagawa Hiroshige, 五十三次名所図会 丗七 赤坂 縄手道にて 弥二郎北八を狐とおもひててふちやくする, 1855
Genji everywhere
Genji was so popular that elements of the story even appeared in completely different genres.
For example, Hiroshige brought the print of the 37th station on the Tōkaidō road to life by including a scene from the book. Back then, the Japanese viewers would have immediately recognised this blurring of the boundaries between the real world and that of literature.