The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of February 17, 2025

Gift Cover (Fukusa) with Tale of Genji Shell-Matching Game
1868–1912
Location: not on view
Description
Japanese elites once presented gifts in boxes with gift covers (fukusa) draped over them. The decorated covers were typically lined with a monochrome backing, but this one’s borders are exposed. Its design is a Tale of Genji shell-matching game. Two clamshells shown in close-up are painted with scenes from two chapters of the novel. The one on the bottom is an episode from the “Kochō” (Butterflies) chapter, in which Genji’s beloved Murasaki sends her young attendants to dance for the empress. The one on the top may depict Genji writing a poem in the “Suzumushi” (Bell Cricket) chapter.- ?-1916Mr. Jeptha Homer Wade II [1857-1926] and Mrs. Ellen Garretson Wade [1859-1917], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art1916-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Bush, Mary Polityka. "Fukusa: The Art of Giving in Edo Period Japan." Piecework 23, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2015): 40-43. Reproduced: p. 42
- Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 24-October 11, 2020).
- {{cite web|title=Gift Cover (Fukusa) with Tale of Genji Shell-Matching Game|url=false|author=|year=1868–1912|access-date=17 February 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1319