Now
lets turn tot he heart of the Genji scroll paintings, the way in which
they serve to illustrate specific moments in the Tale of Genji.
We will focus on the three paintings seen here. They are taken from chapters
36 through 38 of the novel, and depict a closely related sequence of events
centering around the figure of Kashiwagi. This enables us to see not only
how each picture illustrates the text, but also how the pictures relate
to one another. To understand this, it is absolutely essential that you
be familiar with the original Tale of Genji text, as any traditional
viewer of these paintings would have been. So be sure to read the three
chapters involved here.