Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji

[1][2][3] The work, by Ryūtei Tanehiko (柳亭種彦) (1783–1842) with illustrations by Utagawa Kunisada, was published in a woodblock edition between 1829 and 1842 by Senkakudō.

It was the best-selling example of the genre known as gōkan (合巻), a popular literary form that merged image with text.

[3] The plot centres on the outlandish adventures of Ashikaga Mitsuuji, second son of Ashikaga Yoshimasa, while seeking to recover a stolen sword, mirror, and poem, upon which the security of the realm depend.

[3] The preface to the first chapter introduces the character Ōfuji, whose nickname is Murasaki Shikibu.

[3] In the preface to the tenth chapter, Tanehiko describes his own literary project:[1] When I first began to write The Rustic Genji an aged friend said to me: "You should try to the best of your ability to preserve the language of the original and not alter the story.