From the National Diet Library.
In the Heian period, Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting at the imperial court, wrote The Tale of Genji. With Hikaru Genji as the main character, she wrote about the life of the nobles.
Scenes from the story were painted as Genji-e (Genji pictures). The Tale of Genji Picture Scrolls add written text to these pictures. The oldest surviving scrolls were made in the first half of the 12th century.
After that, painters of many schools, such as the Tosa, Kano and Rinpa schools, made many more copies.
In the Edo period, as printing and the book trade grew, ordinary people could easily read The Tale of Genji in everyday language versions and in short summaries.
Ukiyo-e prints, which began around the same time, also took scenes from the story. Some changed the scenes into the fashions of the day, while others kept the elegant court style. From 1892 to 1895, the painter Ogata Gekko published pictures of all 54 chapters.
Today The Tale of Genji is read as classical literature in modern Japanese versions, such as those by Yosano Akiko (1913) and Tanizaki Jun’ichiro (1939), and its pictures have become manga.
It has been translated into many languages, including Arthur Waley’s English translation, and is introduced around the world as a work of literature that represents Japan.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.