So
now let’s begin to look at the three paintings, in which we will pay very
close attention to the element of composition, the way the figures
are arranged in the setting. This is what may offer the key to unlocking
the psychological content. Here we begin with a scene from Chapter 34,
"The Oak Tree", depicting a visit by Yûgiri to the deathbed of his
lifelong friend Kashiwagi. As we finish reading the text, we continue to
unroll the scroll and see the scene beginning on the left. As with most
pictures in the Genji scroll, we see first in the upper right a diagonal
line of architecture, here a sliding door, which leads us down into the
picture. But here it is immediately interrupted by the zigzag of a folding
screen, perhaps symbolizing the tension and confusion of the scene to follow.