"Otome," "maidens," is the term with which the "Gosechi dancers" are indicated.
The Gosechi was a dance celebrating the harvest, performed by four to
six girls from aristocratic families. Those families
would compete with each other in having their most beautiful daughters
take part. The Gosechi dance was an immensely popular event at court and
the beautiful dancers attracted much attention. It was held annually in autumn (also see the Hyakunin Isshu poem by Jien about the Gosechi dancers)
At the age of twelve, Genji's son, Yugiri, has his coming of age ceremony at the house of his maternal grandmother, Princess
Omiya, where he has been brought up since the death of his mother.
After the ceremony he moves to Genji's Nijo mansion. Genji deliberately does not give preferential treatment to Yugiri, but has him start at the sixth court rank (at the bottom) and sends him to the university to get a good education in the Chinese Classics. Yugiri is not happy about this, but as he has a serious character, he concentrates on his studies. Murasaki Shikibu aptly contrasts the uncouthness and bad manners of the scholars and academicians who now surround him, with the suavity of the courtiers.
In the same year, Genji's adopted daughter Saigu, the former high priestess of Ise, is chosen as
the empress of Emperor Reizei, and becomes known as Empress Akikonomu. Genji is promoted to Chancellor; Genji's life-long friend and rival at court, To no Chujo, is appointed as Palace Minister.
To no Chujo has a daughter, Kumoi no
Kari, who from early childhood has been entrusted to Princess Omiya, and was thus a childhood playmate of Yugiri. The two young cousins - who both are 14 now - have fallen in love,
but since To no Chujo hopes that his second daughter Kumoi no Kari ("Goose in the Clouds") might become the Crown Princess, he
takes her back to his own mansion and angrily splits up the pair. He has his elder daughter, the Kokiden Consort, come back from the palace to his mansion, and takes Kumoi no Kari away from Omiya (much to the latter's distress) - the two daughters will be living together. Just before Kumoi no Kari leaves Omiya's house, however, she has a secret tryst with Yugiri and they promise to stay true to each other.
Unable to see Kumoi no Kari, the heartbroken Yugiri that winter takes a peep at the daughter of Genji's former servant Koremitsu (now Governor of Tsu and Left City Commissioner), who has been selected as a Gosechi dancer. He becomes so attracted to her beauty that he sends a love poem to her.
At Genji's request, Hanachirusato looks after Yugiri. Initially, Yugiri wondered what his father saw in her, as her looks were nothing out of the ordinary, but now he recognizes her kindness and understands his father. Yugiri devotes himself to his studies and passes the university exam; he is also promoted to the fifth rank and made a gentleman-in-waiting.
Meanwhile, Genji completes the building of an immense mansion that covers 63,471 square meters in Rokujo (the Rokujo-in or Rokujo Mansion, named after its location in the Sixth Ward), with in each quadrant pavilions and gardens symbolizing one of the four seasons. These he presents to his ladies:
- The spring quarter in the southeast to Murasaki, who lives there with the young Akashi Lady and of course Genji himself. The garden was planted with numerous spring plants and trees and
contained high miniature hills and an extremely large pond. The pond
continued into the neighboring autumn quarter, and the 'Kocho'
(Butterflies) chapter describes ladies-in-waiting coming and going by
boat. As the center of the Rokujo estate, the spring quarter is the
setting for many opulent events and ceremonies, such as the "Toka no
sechie" ceremony (in the 'Hatsune' chapter) and the Emperor's visit to the Rokujo estate (in the 'Fuji no Uraba' chapter).
- The
summer quarter in the northeast to the Lady of the Orange Blossoms, Hanachirusato, who lives there with Genji's son Yugiri. Later, Tamakazura will move into the west wing here. There was a spring in the summer garden, and the trees were positioned to give it the air of a mountain hamlet. There was also a pond to the south, and equestrian stands and equestrian grounds to the east. The 'Hotaru' chapter describes a horse race taking place here during the Tango no Sekku (Boys' Day) festivities.
- The autumn quarter in the southwest to Akikonomu, when she is home from court ("aki konomu" means "to
like autumn"). its garden incorporated the miniature hills and other remnants of the garden of her deceased mother's, Lady Rokujo's, residence. The colored leaves and autumn flowers here are more beautiful than a real autumn field. Not only is the Empress's seasonal sutra reading held here every spring and autumn ('Kocho'), the young Princess Akashi's coming-of-age ceremony also takes place in this quarter (the 'Umegae' chapter).
- The winter quarter in the northwest to the Akashi Lady (who has finally been persuaded to make the move from Oi; her daughter, however, stays with Murasaki, her foster-mother, and mother and daughter will not meet each other until many years later when the young Akashi Lady leaves Genji's mansion to start her service in the palace). Here stands just a modest building consisting of two wings placed side by side but no main hall. On the north side, there were rows of storehouses and hedges of pine trees and chrysanthemums.
The Rokujo estate will be Genji's main residence from his middle years onwards. The layout was based by Murasaki Shikibu on Minamoto no Toru's
Kawarano-in and other real mansions such as the Higashi Sanjo-dono
Palace and the Tsuchimikado-dono Palace. As the name indicates, it stood
near Rokujo-Kyogoku in Heian-kyo, and was built in the shinden-zukuri palatial style.
Genji is now at the peak of his wealth and power and the following ten chapters (the Tamakazura sequence) will describe the elegant and glorious events which take palace in Genji's palatial mansion, as it passes through the seasons. It is a veritable encyclopedia of Heian aristocratic culture and its ideal of miyabi.
That autumn, Akikonomu comes back from the palace and sends Murasaki a bunch of colored leaves with a poem in praise of autumn.
Genji-e
Scenes chosen for illustration include Yugiri tugging at the sleeve of the Gosechi dancer; and Empress Akikonomu sending a young girl with autumn flowers and leaves arranged on the lid of a box to Murasaki's apartments (above). (JAANUS)