'At the Edge of the River Akutagawa' from the Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari), Edo period (1615?1868), Japan, Monochrome woodblock print; ink on paper, Image: 8 3/4 x 5 1/2 in. (22. 2 x 14 cm), Prints, Sugimura Jihei (probably 18th century), One of the stories in The Tales of Ise that Edo-period readers loved best was the episode of the abduction of a young noble lady by the amorous hero. These two scenes originally were mounted together as a single composition so the viewer could appreciate the witty juxtaposition of the widely divergent interpretations of the story