Chapter 38 - A Singing Insect - 鈴虫

"A Singing Insect" (Suzumushi) is Chapter 38 of The Tale of Genji, in which Genji releases singing insects — crickets and bell insects — in his garden for the Third Princess to enjoy, the sound of their autumn songs filling the evening. The chapter is one of the quieter ones in this section of the novel, focusing on sound and sensation rather than dramatic event, and on Genji's tender melancholy as he contemplates the Buddhist path and the Third Princess's own turn toward religion. Ebina's print captures the autumnal gentleness of the insect-song evening.