Fuji no Uraba
Title
The title is taken from the poem that To no Chujo quotes when he approves Yugiri's marriage to his daughter Kumoi no Kari: "New leaves of wisteria in the sunlight of spring; if you open your heart to me, I will place my trust in you."
Waley just transliterates the title; Seidensticker has "Wisteria Leaves," Tyler "New Wisteria Leaves," and Washburn "Shoots of Wisteria Leaves."
Waley just transliterates the title; Seidensticker has "Wisteria Leaves," Tyler "New Wisteria Leaves," and Washburn "Shoots of Wisteria Leaves."
Chronology
This chapter follows the previous one, The Plum Tree Branch, in chronological order. Genji is 39.
Position in the Genji
In this chapter To no Chujo has resigned himself to the love between Yugiri, Genji's son, and his daughter, Kumoi no Kari. The open rivalry with his old friend Genji has abated. To no Chujo invites Yugiri to a banquet under the wisteria blooming in the garden of his residence to finally signal his acceptance of Yugiri as his son-in-law.
Synopsis
On the occasion of the third anniversary of the death of his mother, Princess Omiya, Palace Minister To no Chujo finally abandons his opposition to the match between his daughter Kumoi no Kari and Genji's son Yugiri, who have been in love with each other for a long time. They are cousins and have grown up together; Yugiri is 18 and Kumoi no Kari is 20. On the 7th of the 4th month, To no Chujo holds a wisteria blossom party at his residence, to which he invites the young man, using it as an opportunity to approve of the marriage during a ritualized toast and poetry exchange. The couple's long devotion is at last rewarded.
Readers may wonder why To no Chujo kept the two from marrying and why his relations with his old friend Genji for a time were so cold. As is symbolized by the wisteria or fuji in his garden, To no Chujo represents the Fujiwara family, which since the early 10th c. controlled the imperial family by marrying their young daughters to child-emperors, so that the Fujiwara-father could then become regent and de facto ruler (Murasaki Shikibu's patron Fujiwara no Michinaga is a prime example). In the novel, Genji happens to block this by sending his own daughters to court to become empress consorts. That started in Chapter 17 (The Picture Contest) in which Genji’s adopted daughter Umetsubo / Akikonomu prevailed over the Kokiden Consort (To no Chujo’s daughter), and married the young crown prince. To no Chujo wanted to try again with Kumoi no Kari and thus did his best to keep her away from Genji’s son - but to no avail - while just at this time Genji is about to have his real daughter Akashi marry the next young crown prince! That Kumoi no Kari is removed from the competition to become an imperial wife, is another victory for Genji.
Yugiri, by the way, has been strictly educated by Genji in Confucian ethics and as an upstanding courtier shows the proper respect to his prospective father-in-law. Note finally that the marriage proposal is a transaction between men - there are no women present, certainly not Kumoi no Kari herself.
After the 20th of the 4th month, Genji's daughter, the Akashi Princess, enters the imperial palace. Murasaki accompanies her, but leaves the palace three days later, to relinquish the role of guardian to the Akashi Lady, the birth mother. On this occasion, the two in fact for the first time in their lives meet each other. They recognize each other's fine qualities and there are no ill feelings (such feelings could have been caused by the circumstance that Genji had Murasaki bring up the Akashi Princess, not allowing her own mother to see her). It is also the first time mother and daughter meet since parting on that snowy day in Oi (Arashiyama) long ago.
In autumn, preparations to celebrate Genji's fortieth year begin. In advance of that celebration, Genji becomes Honorary Cloistered Emperor ("honorary," because he is a commoner and does not officially belong to the imperial house) and To no Chujo is promoted to Chancellor. Yugiri becomes Counselor. Together with his bride, Yugiri moves into the memory-filled Sanjo Mansion of their late grandmother, Princess Omiya, where they both spent their childhood and first fell in love with each other.
After the 20th of the 10th month, Emperor Reizei and Cloistered Emperor Suzaku come together to Genji's Rokujo Estate, where a splendid banquet is held to celebrate his upcoming fortieth year (birthdays were not celebrated on the day someone had been born, but on New Year's day everyone became a year older).
Genji is at the summit of his glory.
Readers may wonder why To no Chujo kept the two from marrying and why his relations with his old friend Genji for a time were so cold. As is symbolized by the wisteria or fuji in his garden, To no Chujo represents the Fujiwara family, which since the early 10th c. controlled the imperial family by marrying their young daughters to child-emperors, so that the Fujiwara-father could then become regent and de facto ruler (Murasaki Shikibu's patron Fujiwara no Michinaga is a prime example). In the novel, Genji happens to block this by sending his own daughters to court to become empress consorts. That started in Chapter 17 (The Picture Contest) in which Genji’s adopted daughter Umetsubo / Akikonomu prevailed over the Kokiden Consort (To no Chujo’s daughter), and married the young crown prince. To no Chujo wanted to try again with Kumoi no Kari and thus did his best to keep her away from Genji’s son - but to no avail - while just at this time Genji is about to have his real daughter Akashi marry the next young crown prince! That Kumoi no Kari is removed from the competition to become an imperial wife, is another victory for Genji.
Yugiri, by the way, has been strictly educated by Genji in Confucian ethics and as an upstanding courtier shows the proper respect to his prospective father-in-law. Note finally that the marriage proposal is a transaction between men - there are no women present, certainly not Kumoi no Kari herself.
After the 20th of the 4th month, Genji's daughter, the Akashi Princess, enters the imperial palace. Murasaki accompanies her, but leaves the palace three days later, to relinquish the role of guardian to the Akashi Lady, the birth mother. On this occasion, the two in fact for the first time in their lives meet each other. They recognize each other's fine qualities and there are no ill feelings (such feelings could have been caused by the circumstance that Genji had Murasaki bring up the Akashi Princess, not allowing her own mother to see her). It is also the first time mother and daughter meet since parting on that snowy day in Oi (Arashiyama) long ago.
In autumn, preparations to celebrate Genji's fortieth year begin. In advance of that celebration, Genji becomes Honorary Cloistered Emperor ("honorary," because he is a commoner and does not officially belong to the imperial house) and To no Chujo is promoted to Chancellor. Yugiri becomes Counselor. Together with his bride, Yugiri moves into the memory-filled Sanjo Mansion of their late grandmother, Princess Omiya, where they both spent their childhood and first fell in love with each other.
After the 20th of the 10th month, Emperor Reizei and Cloistered Emperor Suzaku come together to Genji's Rokujo Estate, where a splendid banquet is held to celebrate his upcoming fortieth year (birthdays were not celebrated on the day someone had been born, but on New Year's day everyone became a year older).
Genji is at the summit of his glory.
Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)
The banquet scene under beautiful wisteria hanging from a tall pine in the garden is most often illustrated (as in the above, where Yugiri is sitting to the top right and To no Chujo to the left, before the screen; Kashiwagi is sitting next to Yugiri; the man in black dress is pouring drinks). Other illustrations include Emperor Reizei and Cloistered Emperor Suzaku visiting Genji at Rokujo, while servants are on the lake fishing.