Rare Viewing: Mushi no Utaawase Emaki Scroll

Stop by for a special viewing of the original scroll of "Mushi no Utaawase Emaki" 虫歌合絵巻. Scrolls like this are typically not exhibited in their entirety to protect their delicate materials, making this a rare opportunity to experience a treasured gem from the Asia Library’s special collections.

"Mushi no Utaawase Emaki" is a 56-foot-long Japanese picture scroll from the Edo period, in the 1800's, featuring 15 panels with text and watercolor paintings. It tells the story of a poetry contest in which fifteen pairs of insects compete by composing waka poems, all judged by a frog. Each section contains two poems by different insects, followed by the frog’s critique, and is accompanied by corresponding artwork. Thhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-a25gF5xwe scroll’s exact creator and author are unknown, though possible candidates include Hosokawa Yūsai or Kinoshita Katsutoshi. Traditionally, viewers enjoy the scroll one section at a time.

View a moving image of the scroll.

Browse a collection of images from the scroll.

Join us (on the 4th floor of Hatcher) for Third Thursdays at the Library, a themed monthly open house where we share materials from our collections. While you’re here, pick up a passport and collect a stamp from each of the four Third Thursday Open Houses — Asia Library, Clark Library, International Studies, and Special Collections Research Center — to win a prize!