Shii ga Moto
Title
Waley and Washburn translate "At the Foot of the Oak Tree", and Seidensticker and Tyler have "Beneath the Oak". The title occurs in a poem by Kaoru written in memory of the Eight Prince. The oak is a symbol for the prince, with whom Kaoru has studied Buddhism.
Chronology
The story ranges from the Second Month in the spring of Kaoru's 23rd year to the summer of his 24th year.
Position in the Genji
Niou stops at Uji in early spring, and exchanges poems with Hachi no Miya.
Hachi no Miya passes away in autumn and his two daughters are left in Kaoru's
hands. Kaoru wants to arrange a marriage between Naka no Kimi and Niou, while he himself confesses his love to Oigimi, who however cannot return his feelings.
[Shii ga Moto, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]
Synopsis
Around the 20th of the Second Month, on his way back from a pilgrimage to the Hase Temple, Niou stops by Yugiri's villa in Uji (Yugiri is his mother's half-brother; this villa is located on the opposite bank of the Uji River from the residence of the Eight Prince, where now the Byodoin Temple stands). The reason for his stop-over is his curiosity regarding the sisters of Uji about whom Kaoru has told him. In Uji, he enjoys partying, playing go, and making music on the koto with Kaoru and Yugiri's sons. The lively sound of their music can be heard in the residence of the Eight Prince on the other side of the Uji River, and the prince is nostalgically reminded of the old days when he served at court.The next day, the Eight Prince therefore sends a poem to Niou, who reacts with a poetic reply, delivered by Kaoru (protocol keeps Niou from visiting in person). Also after returning to the capital, Niou keeps sending poems to Uji. Each time, the Eight Prince asks his daughter Naka no Kimi to write the reply poems for him.
As the present year is an "akudoshi", "bad year" for the Eight Prince in the Japanese almanac, he entrusts Kaoru with the guardianship of his daughters if anything happens to him. He also warns his daughters not to take their future marriage lightly and leave Uji to disgrace themselves in the secular world - he wants them to spend the rest of their lives in this mountain village.
And indeed, during a period of religious seclusion in the mountain temple in Uji which he usually visits, the Eight Prince falls ill and suddenly dies. That happens around the 20th day of the Eight Month. When the princesses learn of his death, they wish to see their father one last time, but are strictly refused by the ajari who manages the temple and was the spiritual advisor of their father. Kaoru oversees every detail of the prince's funeral and memorial ceremonies. Niou, too, from time to time sends messages of condolence.
On a snowy day at the end of the year, Kaoru visits Uji and meets Oigimi. He again confesses his love to her, but she keeps refusing him. He also tells the sisters about the interest Niou has shown in Naka no Kimi.
In the spring of the following year, Niou's feelings for Naka no Kimi grow more and more intense, so much so that he is reluctant to discuss his coming marriage to Roku no Kimi with her father, Yugiri.
As his Sanjo residence in Heiankyo has been destroyed by fire, for a long time Kaoru is unable to visit Uji. When he finally travels to Uji in the summer, he catches a glimpse of the princesses in their mourning robes and finds himself more and more attracted to the noble beauty of Oigimi.
Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)
Scenes chosen for illustration include: 1) During Niou's trip to Uji on the twentieth day of the Second Month with a large retinue. There is gaming and drinking on the banks of the Uji river with blooming mountain cherries. 2) After a winter snow and the death of the Eight Prince, Kaoru leans against a pillar in the prince's chapel and sits reading the poem by Oigimi from which the chapter takes its name. In the left corner of the painting we see Oigimi in a large room. In the upper right corner the Uji Bridge has been depicted. This is a marvelous snow scene of the sort in which Tosa Mitsunobu excelled (see the above illustration).