Fan with Akikonomu Chūgū from The Maiden Chapter of the Tale of Genji

In adulthood Genji built a palace designed with a seasonal garden for each of the four women who lived with him. Depicted on this fan is Akikonomu, an empress and Genji’s adopted daughter, who lived in the “autumn” quarter of the palace. Her name literally means, “Loves Autumn.” When her garden was at its peak one autumn, she collected maple leaves and presented them to Murasaki (Genji’s favorite consort who lived in the spring quarter) along with a poem celebrating the beauty of autumn. Here she wears the luxurious, layered robes of a court lady. In front of her, maple leaves fill the upturned lid of a lacquer box. This theme of autumnal beauty carries over to the back of the fan in the form of bush clover, a grass that flowers in the months before the onset of winter.