17th century

The Tale of Genji

Among the amusements shown on this screen, which are taken from the eleventh-century novel The Tale of Genji, are: a cat on a veranda is pursued by a woman peeking out from behind a bamboo blind, who is seen by some of the seven men playing football (kemari) in the garden; a man is seated on a tatami mat next to a go board and pieces; two noblemen engage in a "picture contest;" and a nobleman plays a koto (a type of zither).