It's a vibrant and fanciful take on the epic tale.

"It's a rare one and happens to be in good condition. It's a wild print, and there is some puzzle about the subject. I haven't been able to track down where the story comes from. It may be some Kabuki myth they invented."

For Eisinger, co-curating the exhibit was a collaborative endeavor with Allan as well as Steve Fesette, a Miner employee who transformed the former weaving room into a top-notch gallery space, and Amanda Palmer, museum director/curator.

"We had a great time," Eisinger said. "Amanda and her docents did the framing. It's really going to be a really special show. The catalogue was done by Mary Lou Beauharnois. Neal Keach took the photographs. It was combined effort with a lot of talented and hardworking people."

MUSEUM FIRST

The team also included former museum director Fred Smith, who began the initial research and took the prints for identification to Roger Keyes, a Rhode Island-based internationally recognized authority on Japanese art, and the Williamstown Art Conservation Center in Mass.

"From my point of view as a museum professional, that was a very important step the museum took to invest in conservation so we can protect and maintain the prints," Allan said. "That happened while Fred was there. Also Joan Burke (chair of the board) has been a driving force behind this."

The exhibition and catalogue are museum firsts.

"It's been a most interesting experience," Allan said. " We are exhibiting only a portion of the total collection."

In total, there are 120 prints; 35 will be on display.

The exhibition is beautiful in Burke's eyes.

"What excites me is that it's really the fruition of a long-standing dream of the museum board and people who have worked for the museum," she said. "Our goal is to really try to present to the community the depth, range and sophistication of the content of the collection. I don't know that that has been done well enough. The collection has much more variety and beauty than perhaps we have communicated."

rcaudell@pressrepublican.com