Scroll 1 from Tale of the bamboo cutter (Taketori monogatari)

Kanō Takanobu, circle of

Scroll 1 from the 'Tale of the bamboo cutter' (Taketori monogatari), the text accompanied by illustrations by an unknown artist thought to belong to the circle of Kanō Takanobu, painted in ink, colours, gold and silver on paper; made in Japan in the early 17th century. One of a pair of handscrolls telling the tale of the 'Shining Princess', Princess Kaguya. In Scroll 1, the bamboo cutter discovers a child of supernatural beauty in a bamboo stalk and brings her to his home. There, he and his wife raise her as their daughter, naming her the Shining Princess of the Supple Bamboo. The Chester Beatty scrolls are believed to be the earliest surviving illustrated version of this historic and popular tale. They were conserved with the support of the Sumitomo Foundation at Restorient Studio, Leiden, between 2010 and 2012.