Wilkie Collins: The Law and the Lady

The Law and the Lady is a strange and compelling novel, written in 1857, one of the best by Wilkie Collins. Why is that?

For starters, it centers on a strong and stubborn woman (against the Victorian grain that women should be "dolls" and kept in the "dollhouse"). Collins (who himself avoided the pitfalls of conventional marriage) really thought about the domestic and legal position of women like almost no other Victorian male writer (with the possible exception of Trollope). He was very interested in female characters, especially their concerns and ambitions, and deplored the social restrictions placed upon them by society. Valeria, the independent-minded heroine of this novel, tells her own story, using letters, diaries, and trial transcripts as a central part of her sleuthing as she tries to prove her husband's innocence. She is not the ideal type of pliable Victorian woman with blonde or yellow hair, but is described as having "dark hair and heavy eyebrows."

[Proserpine, 1874, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti -
a woman with dark hair from the same period as The Law and the Lady]

Valeria Brinton and Eustace Woodville met by chance and fell in love at first sight. Despite the misgivings of both their families, they marry within weeks of their first meeting, knowing almost nothing about each other. On their honeymoon, Valeria discovers that her husband married her under an assumed name (his true surname is not "Woodville", but "Macallan"), and despite his assurances that he loves her and his pleas for her not to delve further into the reasons for his name change, Valeria is determined to find out why her husband felt it necessary to hide his true identity from her. Soon she is in for an even greater shock when she learns that Eustace had been married before and was on trial for the poisoning of his first wife. The trial took place in Scotland where he lived at the time and Scottish law (as is still the case) has three options: Guilty, Not Guilty, and Not Proven (when guilt is presumed but cannot be legally proven). And that is the verdict Eustace receives. Valeria is shocked and confused - she can't believe her husband is capable of such a terrible crime, but why didn't the jury find him "not guilty"? And why did Eustace not trust her enough to tell her about his life before they were married? Determined to clear her husband's name (and thereby also her own life now linked to that name), Valeria sets out to find out as much as she can about the trial and to re-examine the evidence against Eustace, but in doing so she not only alienates her husband, but also steps outside the bounds of conventional social behavior.

Second, Collins' novel is a detective novel with an early example of a female detective (for more stories about female detectives, see my post "The Female Rivals of Sherlock Holmes" - the first female detective, Miss G, appeared in 1864). As a female amateur detective, Valeria is repeatedly discouraged by those she encounters, all of whom assume that, as a woman, she lacks the physical and mental strength to accomplish the task she has set herself. Dangerously stepping outside the realm of the respectable woman of the time, she must endure the unwelcome advances of a man she is interrogating (Dexter, see below). And in another case, where she has to charm an old Casanova type (Major Fitz-David, a delicious character with innumerable girlfriends who gets his comeuppance when he marries a young but very vulgar singer who keeps him on a tight leash and pockets his money), she uses make-up, which in 1875 was used only by "light women" - Valeria can be traditionally feminine enough when it suits her or when circumstances necessitate it.

The novel contains several features of modern detective fiction, including the amateur who succeeds where the professionals fail, a courtroom cross-examination, the use of an alibi, and the sequential elimination of various suspects. By boldly and unconventionally investigating a mystery that proved impenetrable to male lawyers, Valeria achieves much, but in the end also disappoints the modern reader because of her exaggerated respect and love for her unimpressive and weak husband. But we should probably see that as an aftereffect of the oppression of women so deeply rooted in Victorian society.

Third, the novel is a vehicle for the presentation of eccentricity, madness, and idiocy through the characters of Miserrimus Dexter and his cousin Ariel. Dexter, who consists only of the head, arms, and torso of a living human being with nothing below the waist is literally "half a man." Dexter embodies the most excessive elements of sensational fiction and is the most bizarre of all Collins's creations. His house, a pastiche of High Gothic in the desolate landscape of a half-built suburb, is decorated with paintings of gruesome scenes he has painted himself. He sadistically experiments on his mentally challenged servant, his cousin Ariel. He veers wildly between abject melancholy and narcissistic excess. When in a state of high mania, he impersonates Napoleon, Nelson, and Shakespeare. When he gets out of his wheelchair in excitement, he jumps on his hands like a frog.

As a friend of Valeria's husband Eustace, Dexter was a house-guest in his Scottish home at the time of the death of Sarah, the first wife of Eustace, and Valeria sees him as both a witness and a possible suspect. He fuels Valeria's jealousy by telling her about another house-guest, Mrs. Beauly, a sort of femme fatale with whom Eustace was in love at that time. More importantly, he suggests a pattern of perverse behavior in Eustace's choice of Valeria by noticing a disturbing resemblance between Valeria and Sarah. So perhaps he is not so insane after all... although he does defy all rational ways of understanding him, and thus disturbed not only Victorian critics but also some modern readers. For me, this is the character who "makes" the novel!

Dexter is also crucial to the plot. Before taking the poison, Sarah wrote a letter confessing her suicide to her husband. This letter has fallen into the hands of Dexter, who eventually throws it away in the wastebasket in his room - it is then taken to a rubbish heap in the garden of Macallan's house, which is apparently never cleaned up. Buried under other garbage, like a shameful act in the Freudian unconscious, Valeria has the fragments of the letter dug up and then restored by a specialist. This is the final solution that she decides not to show Eustace (see below).

Fourth, the novel weaves ambiguity around gender roles and even subverts them. The best example is again Dexter, who wears colorful clothes, plays music on a little harp, does needlework while talking to his visitors (so relaxing!), and even cooks a meal for Valeria like a true kitchen-princess. However, he is not completely feminized, as he tries to grab and kiss Valeria in a later chapter. His female cousin Ariel, who is his helper, has a completely inexpressive face and colorless eyes - she seems only half alive and in fact of indeterminate gender. And finally, Valeria's husband, Eustace, is described by Collins as "one of the weakest of living mortals," a complete contrast to his wife.  

In the end, Valeria and Eustace are together again, and they even have a child. The results of Valeria's research, which Eustace still doesn't want to hear, have been put in a sealed envelope so that their son can read them if he wants to in the future. But I'm afraid I can't conclude that "they lived happily ever after." Thanks to Dexter, Valeria knows the contents of the diary Eustace kept at the time of his wife's death - it is full of mean observations about his first wife Sarah, and even hatred (no wonder Sarah committed suicide). On top of that, he had switched his affections to another woman, the above mentioned "femme fatale," Mrs. Beauly. In other words, Eustace is a weak and mean person... It is to be expected that these low character traits will surface again sometime in the future and destroy Valeria's happiness (the only thing I can say is that she is not the type to end her own life like Sarah did).

This is Collins at his best - different, of course, from The Woman in White and The Moonstone, with their labyrinthine threads of interwoven narrative found in Collins' novels of the 1860s, but it takes greater risks and pushes themes such as gender ambiguity far beyond earlier limits. In the 1870s and 1880s, Collins was not on a downward slide (as has been the verdict of brainless critics and superficial scholars), but continued to renew himself. It is possible that his true achievements of that period have been obscured both by his own two earlier blockbusters, as well as by the avalanche of other great English novels of the 1870s - so let us take care to restore The Law and the Lady to the position it deserves.

P.S. The Law and the Lady reminded me of the detective fiction of the Japanese author Edogawa Ranpo, who wrote in the ero-guro-nonsense or "erotic, grotesque, and nonsensical" style popular in Japan in the late 1920s and early 1930s. A bizarre character like Dexter, half man and half machine, would fit perfectly into one of Ranpo's stories and novels. Although Ranpo is now quite popular in the West, Europe and America didn't originally know about this style of literature, and that may be why the verdict on The Law and the Lady was so negative. See my blog articles about Edogawa Ranpo: The Ero-guro Mysteries of Edogawa Ranpo; Japanese Detective Novels, Edogawa Ranpo 1, and Japanese Detective Novels, Edogawa Ranpo 2; Edogawa Ranpo On Screen 1 and Edogawa Ranpo on Screen 2.

Forgotten Books

Reading The Tale of Genji (47): Trefoil Knots (Agemaki)

 

Agemaki

Title

The title of this chapter is based on a poem that Kaoru wrote for Oigimi at the Buddhist service at the anniversary of her father's death. The literal meaning of "agemaki" is "an elaborate three-looped knot, and also a young girl's coiffure in that shape." Kaoru expresses his hope that he and Oigimi may be tied together in a "trefoil knot."

Waley keeps the title as "Agemaki," Seidensticker and Tyler translate it as "Trefoil Knots" and Washburn as "A Bowknot Tied in Maiden's Loops".

Chronology

This chapter takes place from autumn to winter when Kaoru is 24 years old.

Position in the Genji

In the story, Oigimi attempts to redirect Kaoru's ardor for her to her younger sister Naka no Kimi. Kaoru in turn encourages an alliance between Naka no Kimi and Niou. Oigimi's rejection of Kaoru, however, remains unchanged. Around the same time Yugiri, Genji's son by Aoi, decides to wed his daughter Roku no Kimi to Niou. Overcome by sorrow, Oigimi passes away.

[Agemaki, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

In the eighth month of autumn, a memorial service is held to mark the first anniversary of the death of Hachi no Miya, and Kaoru takes care of everything. That night, Kaoru approaches Oigimi and again expresses his feelings for her. Although they talk through the whole night, she again refuses him. Oigimi is determined to continue her father's legacy and remain celibate at their Uji residence, while at the same time planning to marry her younger sister, Naka no Kimi, to Kaoru. But Oigimi's clothes are stained with Kaoru's strong fragrance, leading Naka no Kimi to suspect that her sister has been intimate with Kaoru (which was not the case).

Shortly after the memorial service, Kaoru again visits Uji and with the help of Ben no Kimi this time enters the bedchamber of Oigimi, planning to create a fait accompli. However, Oigimi guesses his intention and hides, leaving Naka no Kimi behind. So that night Kaoru keeps talking to Naka no Kimi, without attempting any intimacy.

Knowing that Oigimi wants him to marry her sister, Kaoru instead decides to have Naka no Kimi marry Niou. One night in the 9th month, he secretly takes Niou to Uji to meet Naka no Kimi - and this rendezvous is successful. Niou promptly seduces Naka no Kimi.

Kaoru confides the truth of what has happened to Oigimi and again presses her to marry him, but she keeps refusing. Niou continues to visit Naka no Kimi for three nights (which in the Heian period meant that they now are married), but is deterred from further visits by the opposition of his mother, the Akashi Empress. He is after all an imperial prince, she tells him, and it is extremely bad manners to repeatedly sneak off to Uji to visit a secret lover. She strongly reminds him of his status. With his life thus circumscribed, he is thereafter unable to visit Uji. Oigimi and Naka no Kimi are distressed by the cessation of Niou's visits.

In autumn, Niou thinks of a plan to visit Uji: he wants to use a boat trip along the Uji River to see the colored maple leaves as a pretext to visit Naka no Kimi. But as imperial prince he is forced to come with a large retinue and is after all unable to slip away. His father, the Emperor, doesn't want Niou to go on such outings again and arranges for him to marry Roku no Kimi, the daughter of Yugiri.

Oigimi is so distressed by this setback - she regards it as her personal shame the the husband she picked for her sister has left them in the lurch and now will marry someone else -, that she falls ill. Despite Kaoru's earnest efforts to nurse her, she dies in the 11th month as " a withered tree breaking off," on a night that there is a heavy snow storm in Uji.

Kaoru is deeply saddened by the fact that he has not been able to marry Oigimi, and he stays on in Uji to mourn her loss. Hearing of Kaoru's sorrow through a friend, the Akashi Empress reconsiders Niou's case: "If she is the younger sister of a woman who is so loved, it is no wonder that Niou goes to see her." Niou then makes up his mind to take Naka no Kimi to his Nijo Palace in Kyoto.

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

Scenes commonly chosen for illustration include: dawn in the ninth month, Niou and Naka no Kimi looking over at Uji Bridge as the fire-wood boats (shibabune) are rowed out on the river; and, the young women of the princesses' household looking out at Niou on an excursion in a boat roofed with scarlet leaves on the Uji River around the beginning of the tenth month (as in the above). 

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (46): Beneath the Oak (Shii ga Moto)

 

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). 

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (45): The Maiden of the Bridge (Hashihime)

 

 Hashihime

Title

"The Maiden of the Bridge" was a mythical female guardian deity of the bridge over the Uji River. The name "Hashihime" is used in a poem by Kaoru to Oigimi, in which he likens himself to a ferryman who is adrift between the secular world and the far shore of the next life, while Hashihime is also a symbol for Oigimi.

Waley translates "The Bridge Maiden", Seidensticker "The Lady at the Bridge", Tyler  "The Maiden of the Bridge" and Washburn "The Divine Princess at Uji Bridge"

Chronology

This chapter starts by describing the early life of the Eight Prince. Kaoru enters when he is already a Consultant Captain (age 20). After the passage of some time, the story gets underway in autumn when Kaoru is 22.

Position in the Genji

The last ten chapters of the novel are known as Uji Jujo, "The Ten Books of Uji."They belong to the fourth part of the Genji, also unofficially called "Kaoru Monogatari," as Kaoru is just as central to these chapters as Genji was to the main part of the novel.

Uji is a locale south of the capital, near the banks of a turbulent and noisy river, an area which is mist-covered and rustic. The trip to Uji from the capital is described as difficult and even dangerous, leading over steep mountain paths - one would think that Murasaki Shikibu had never visited Uji, for the road from Kyoto really does not lead through the mountains - it is rather flat and easy to travel. But besides being a real place, Uji was a poetic "pillow word," associated with "ushi," "sadness," by a pun on its name. Both the Uji River and Uji Mountain were associated with gloom, as many now famous scenic spots were in the past, as they were more lonely and distant than at present (to modern eyes, Uji boasts a striking natural setting, with attractions as the scenic Uji riverside, but also several famous temples). See my translation of the poem by Priest Kisen in the Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each) for more on the connotations of Uji.

The Uji chapters are dominated by a strong influence of Buddhism and sense of uncertainty. The character of Kaoru is irresolute and hesitant - a thinker rather than a doer; he can't take the initiative in love, which makes a strong contrast with his rival Niou (and Genji in the past). 

This first Uji chapter introduces the Eighth Prince (Hachi no Miya), a half-brother of Genji, and his two daughters, Oigimi and Naka no Kimi, who live with him in his self-imposed retirement at Uji. The prince is known for his piety and wisdom. Kaoru, whose serious character is engendered by deep misgivings about his paternity, begins to study Buddhism under Hachi no Miya. Eventually he learns from Ben no Kimi, the daughter of Kashiwagi's wet nurse, who serves in the household of the Eight Prince, that he is not in fact Genji's son, but rather the illegitimate son of Kashiwagi.

[Hashihime, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

The Eight Prince (Hachi no Miya) was the eighth son of Emperor Kiritsubo, and therefore Genji's younger brother by a different mother. When Emperor Reizei was the Crown Prince, Empress Kokiden (Genji's nemesis) plotted to remove him and help Hachi no Miya to the throne. But the conspiracy, in which the prince himself was not actively involved, failed and Hachi no Miya was ostracized by court society. His wife already being dead, and his residence in the capital destroyed by fire, he retreated to Uji with his two daughters, Oigimi, the older sister, and Naka no Kimi, the younger sister. There he leads the life of an awakened Buddhist practitioner, without taking formal vows. For Kaoru, Hachi no Miya is a kindred spirit, a nobleman with a similar sensibility and profound Buddhist insights, so he starts frequently visiting him for philosophical and religious guidance.

In the third autumn since Kaoru has started to visit Hachi no Miya, he catches a glimpse (yes, via kaimami) of the two daughters making music, by playing a koto (a long Japanese zither with thirteen strings) and a biwa (a Japanese lute) under the wan moon at dawn. Kaoru is naturally attracted to the daughters, who look innocent, but also graceful. He is especially smitten by elder sister, the noble Oigimi.

[Kaoru's kaimami scene as portrayed in The Tale of Genji Museum]

When Kaoru tries to see Oigimi with the aid of one of the ladies in waiting, he meets the elderly Ben no Kimi, the daughter of the wet nurse of the late Kashiwagi. She promises Kaoru to tell him the secret concerning his birth.

After returning to the capital, Kaoru keeps thinking of Oigimi and the promise given him by Ben no Kimi. He also shares his discovery of the two beautiful sisters with his friend Niou, who, as the inveterate womanizer he is, gets passionately interested in them.

Early in the 10th month, during his next visit, Kaoru and Ben no Kimi talk about old times, and he receives a bag of letters from her. When he returns to Heiankyo, he opens the bag to find a bundle of moldy letters, which have been exchanged between Kashiwagi and the Third Princess. He now knows the secret of his birth - his father is Kashiwagi.

When Kaoru later visits his mother, the Third Princess, he plans to tell her that he knows who his real father is, but when he sees her peacefully reading sutras, he can't speak about those complications from the past, and decides to keep his knowledge to himself.

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

The scene most frequently chosen for illustration shows Oigimi playing a biwa lute and Naka no Kimi a koto under the moon and clouds while Kaoru secretly peers in through a break in the villa's bamboo fence. In the above illustration we only see one sister, presumably Oigimi.

Visiting Genji

(1) The Tale of Genji Museum in Uji is dedicated to the 10 Uji chapters that conclude The Tale of Genji. Located on the other bank of the river from Byodoin temple, the smart museum displays life-size models, dolls, costumes and furnishings as well as an oxen-drawn carriage from the novel. A film based on the Uji story is also shown. There is a cafe (with a good shop) and it feels as an oasis in the tourist onslaught around Byodoin. This is a beautiful museum, interesting as a whiff of aristocratic culture from the Heian period. 

[Tale of Genji Museum]

Access: Uji is about 30 min by from Kyoto by JR line to JR Uji St, and the same time via the Keihan line from Sanjo St in Kyoto to Keihan Uji St (with a transfer in Chushojima).  The museum is 8 min on foot from Keihan Uji, and 15 min on foot from JR Uji (from JR UJI it is across the river Uji).
When to visit: Hours: 9:00-17:00, last admission 30 min before closing.
Closed: Monday (open if Monday is a national holiday, then closed the next regular weekday), New Year holidays.

(2) The Uji Bridge. One of the oldest bridges in Japan, said to have been built for the first time in 646 (the present structure dates from 1996). A monument in nearby Hojoin temple on the east side of the bridge, claims that the builder was the monk Doto, while the Shoku Nihongi mentions another monk as founder, Dosho.

[Uji Bridge with statue of Murasaki Shikibu]

It is one of the three oldest bridges in Japan. Both in the Jinshin War and the Heike war the bridge played an important strategical role. The present bridge is a very tasteful structure, the cypress wood railings are in the traditional shape of wooden railings crowned with giboshi, so that the bridge blends in with the natural scenery of the Uji River and the historical heritage of the area surrounding the bridge. There is an overhang on the upstream side of the bridge, called "San-no-Ma," which is dedicated to Hashihime, the guardian deity of the bridge. The Hashihime legend plays an important role in the No play Kannawa. On the west side of the bridge also stands the small Hashihime Shrine.
The Uji Bridge spans the Uji River between Keihan Uji Station (east side) and JR Uji Station (west side) and is just a few minutes walk from each.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (44): Bamboo River (Takekawa)

 

 Takekawa

Title

"Bamboo River" is a saibara folk song, that is sung by various persons in this chapter.

All translators have "Bamboo River."

Chronology

Chronologically, "Bamboo River" overlaps with "The Perfumed Prince," "The Maiden of the Bridge" and the first part of "Beneath the Oak," but the story stands completely on its own.

Here we find another parent who seeks to marry off her daughters: Tamakazura, the half-sister of Kobai, for whom Genji acted for a while as guardian (see the "Tamakazura chapters" 22 to 31) - she is now 47 and the widow of Higekuro.

Position in the Genji

After two short chapters which were just vignettes without much story, here we get more meat on the bones. But there is another problem: the chapter does not fit in the chronology and also uses different titles for some of the characters - it clearly was written later, I suppose by Murasaki Shikibu herself, perhaps at a time she couldn't consult her previous manuscript. Moreover, revision of the novel was impossible, as what she wrote was immediately taken from under her hands by the eager ladies-in-waiting (and even palace ministers) around her!

[Takekawa, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

After Higekuro's death, Tamakazura has been left with her three sons and two daughters - she especially worries about finding suitable husbands for her daughters. But as a matter of fact, both the present Emperor and the Cloistered Emperor Reizei ask Tamakazura to let them marry her eldest daughter, Oigimi, as secondary consort. Tamakazura hesitates, also as both Kaoru and Kurodo (the fifth son of Yugiri, also called by his title "Shosho," "The Lesser Captain") are showing interest in Oigimi. Especially Kurodo is very persistent, even befriending Tamakazura's youngest son to gain an entry into the household.

Towards the end of the First Month, when Kaoru is just fifteen, a group of young people gathers at Tamakazura's residence to sing "Takekawa" in the Saibara style. At that time, Tamakazura realizes that the sound of the wagon (Japanese harp) which Kaoru is playing, is very similar to the style of her deceased elder brother, Kashiwagi (who is in reality Kaoru's father).

At dusk in the Third Month, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the two sisters, Oigimi and Naka no Kimi open the bamboo blinds and play a game of Go - the winner will become the owner of the beautifully blossoming cherry tree in the garden. Via an act of kaimami (peeping), Kurodo secretly observes the informally dressed sisters and his love for Oigimi deepens.

However, Tamakazura decides to let Oigimi marry the Ex-Emperor Reizei. She feels she can't refuse him, as in the past, before she married Higekuro, Reizei was in love with her and she had to disappoint him (so it is a lingering romantic regret that drives her decision). But she makes sure that Reizei's present wives, the Ex-Empress Akikonomu and Secondary wife Kokiden (the daughter of To no Chujo), also approve of this arrangement.

When Kurodo hears this news, he is so disappointed that he appeals to his mother, Kumoi no Kari, to send a letter of protest to Tamakazura. But the promise can't be turned back and in the Fourth Month Oigimi enters the imperial palace. The Cloistered Emperor Reizei shows great affection towards her. On the other hand, the reigning emperor (who is never named in the Genji) is in a bad mood because his wish was not granted. Tamakazura's sons, who all three serve at court, blame her and warn that things may turn out bad for Oigimi.

In the spring of the following year, to the happiness of the Cloistered Emperor (who has only one daughter with Kokiden) Oigimi gives birth to a daughter. Around the same time, Tamakazura decides she has to humor the present emperor as well, so she gives up her palace position of Naishi no Tsukasa, Mistress of Staff, (which for many years has been entirely nominal, as she never went to the palace) to her second daughter, Naka no Kimi, who in this way enters court and in fact becomes a consort of the present emperor.

The Cloistered Emperor Reizei's affection for Oigimi remains strong and a few years later she gives birth to a son - an imperial prince. Reizei is greatly pleased, but Oigimi starts frequently coming back home because of mental exhaustion caused by the slander of the ladies in waiting of Akikonomu and Kokiden, who see her as an interloper. Meanwhile, Naka no Kimi lives in comfort with the present emperor.

Kaoru and Kurodo are steadily promoted to high positions, so when Tamakazura thinks of the unhappiness of Oigimi, she feels a bit sorry for marrying her to Reizei and not one of the younger men... and on that note, the story ends.

P.S. As it is confusing that Tamakazura's daughters are called "Oigimi" and "Naka no Kimi," just like the daughters of the Eight Prince who will appear in the next chapter, Waley changes their names into "Himegimi" and "Wakagimi".
 

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

Scenes frequently chosen for illustration include: 1) The serious Kaoru calls on Tamakazura, and while sitting on the veranda next to a plum tree in first bud with a warbler uguisu about to alight, he is teased by some of her ladies who are just behind the blinds. 2) In the Third Month, Yugiri's son, the lieutenant, spies on Tamakazura's daughters playing a game of go, with a blossoming cherry tree in the inner court at stake (as in the above illustration).

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (43): Red Plum (Kobai)

 

 Kobai

Title

The chapter derives its title from an exchange or red plum blossoms and a poem between Kobai (who thus got his nickname, "Red Plum") and Niou.

Waley has "Kobai", Seidensticker "The Rose Plum", Tyler "Red Plum Blossoms" and Washburn "Red Plum".

Chronology

While "The Perfumed Prince" ends early in Kaoru's twentieth year, "Red Plum" begins early in his twenty-fourth. The intervening years are covered by the three chapters that follow. 

Position in the Genji

The chapter is about developments that happen later to the descendants of To no Chujo and their relatives. Kobai is a younger brother of the late Kashiwagi and the husband of Makibashira, the widow of Prince Hotaru. They both have daughters from previous marriages whom each would like to have married to Niou.
　

[Kobai, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

Kobai ("Red Plum") is the second son of To no Chujo, and Kashiwagi's younger maternal half-brother. He is cheerful and clever, having been known for his beautiful voice since he was a child. When he was young, he sang Saibara (gagaku-styled folk melodies)) in front of Genji (as related in the chapter "Sakaki"), and he has also appeared as a singer at many other auspicious occasions such as related in "Umegae," "Fuji no Uraba", and so on.

He is now about 55 and has attained high rank (Chief Councilor of State). After the death of his first wife, he has married Makibashira, the daughter of Higekuro and the previous wife of Genji's brother Hotaru (Makibashira is now about 47). Kobai has two daughters from his first marriage, Oigimi and Naka no Kimi (confusingly, in the next two chapters we again meet two sister couples with these same names, but they are all completely different persons). Makibashira and Kobai have a son, Tayu. Furthermore, Makibashira also has a daughter from her first marriage, an unusually bashful girl, Miya no Onkata.
 
Though there are many suitors for the three princesses after they finish their coming-of-age ceremony (mogi), Kobai has already had Oigimi become a consort of the Crown Prince (whose first wife is the eldest daughter of Yugiri). He also wants her sister Naka no Kimi to marry royalty, and his preference goes to Prince Niou. Kobai sends his young boy Tayu (who is already favored with attentions by Niou) to the palace to hand him a branch of red plum blossoms with a poem that hints at the fact that he has another daughter available for marriage. But Niou is more interested in pursuing Miya no Onkata, Makibashira's daughter who is living with her mother and stepfather. Through Tayu he frequently sends poems to Miya no Onkata, but she never answers - she seems more interested in taking holy orders in the future, than in getting married. Makibashira thinks Niou would be a good match for her daughter, but she hesitates about it considering the feelings of her husband, who after all wants Niou as husband for his second daughter, Naka no Kimi. Makibashira is also worried by the rumors she hears about Niou's inordinate number of secret affairs, one of them with a daughter of the Eight Prince (to be related in the Uji chapters). So she just sends a polite answer in place of her daughter and there the chapter ends, again rather abruptly - this is a storyline that will not be continued in the latter parts of the novel.
 

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

The most frequently depicted scene shows Kobai's young son at the royal palace, waiting with a branch of red plum blossoms and a letter from his father to present to Niou (in the above illustration, Niou sits reading the letter).

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (42): The Perfumed Prince (Niou Miya)

 

 Niou Miya

Title

Waley has "Niou", Seidensticker "His Perfumed Highness", Tyler "The Perfumed Prince" and Washburn "The Fragrant Prince" I think "The Perfumed Prince" is best, as in contrast to Kaoru's natural fragrance, Prince Niou uses artificial perfumes to exude a nice smell.

Chronology

A gap of 8 years separates "The Perfumed Prince" from "The Spirit Summoner." Readers gather that Genji died after spending two or three years in seclusion as a priest at his Saga temple. In the meantime, the Cloistered Emperor Suzaku, Hotaru, To no Chujo and Higekuro all have died as well. 

Position in the Genji

This chapter serves to reintroduce the two main protagonists of the last part of the tale, Prince Niou and Kaoru. We last saw them as young children living together at Rokujo, but now they are around twenty years of age and eligible bachelors. Prince Niou is the third son of the reigning emperor and Genji's daughter, the Empress Akashi; Kaoru is Genji's purported youngest son but actually the child of his wife, the Third Princess, and Kashiwagi. Both are characterized by the wonderful scent they exude, but in a different way, which also points at their different characters. Kaoru’s scent is natural, ethereal and of his essence, while Niou’s is superficial, but sensual, and stirring.

This chapter, together with the two next ones, is sometimes called "The three Niou chapters," - although Niou doesn't play any role in the third chapter "Takekawa." These three chapters are sometimes considered as belonging to the third of the four parts in which scholars usually divide the Genji, but it is more common to count them as belonging to the fourth and last part, together with the ten Uji chapters. And as Kaoru is the true protagonist of these 13 chapters, some scholars even speak about the "Kaoru Monogatari," "The Tale of Kaoru," as the continuation of the Genji Monogatari.

[Niou, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

This chapter takes place eight years after "Maboroshi" (Spirit Summoner) and starts with the observation "Genji was dead, and there was no one to take his place." Kaoru and Niou have the reputation of being the greatest noblemen of the day, but they are not up to the level of Genji - they owe their fame solely to the fact that they are so closely connected to him. Just like Genji and To no Chujo in the past, they are friends but also rivals.

Genji's grandson Niou was Murasaki's favorite and has inherited the Nijo Palace from her. His uncle - Genji's son - Yugiri, who has many daughters, wants him to marry one of them, but Niou is not really interested - he is something like a dandy and prefers to keep his options open.

Yugiri himself dutifully divides his time between his two wives, Princess Ochiba (living at the Summer residence in Rokujo) and Kumoi no Kari (living at the Sanjo Palace). He has entrusted his most prized daughter, Roku no Kimi (whose mother is Koremitsu's daughter) to Princess Ochiba to have her brought up as a well-educated lady.

Yugiri does his best to keep his inheritance, the large Rokujo Estate (lying in a distant part of the capital not very popular among courtiers), flourishing. Some of the ladies have moved out: Hanachirusato has moved to the East Pavilion of the Nijo Palace, and the Third Princess has moved to the Sanjo Palace. But most of the numerous children of the Akashi Empress now live in the Rokujo Estate.

Although Kaoru has been spoiled and pampered by Emperor Reizei and Empress Akikonomu, who are themselves without children, he is not a happy man - he harbors a vague suspicion about his birth, and considers life as somewhat dull, even thinking to become a priest.

Strangely, Kaoru smells sweet by nature, "the same smell as that of the Buddha." To compete with him, Prince Niou devotes himself to the art of perfuming his clothes by incense, so that people call him "the perfumed prince." In their youth, they grew up together, almost like brothers. Public attention is focused on these two men and many influential families want them to marry their daughters. However, Niou has a secret preference for Emperor Reizei's daughter, the First Princess, while Kaoru is stuck in a very pessimistic view of life, and doesn't want to have any serious love affairs he may later come to regret.

On New Year's day, when Kaoru is twenty, Yugiri holds a banquet at the Rokujo Estate after an archery contest. Not only Niou, but also Kaoru, joins the splendid banquet. Yugiri's ulterior motive is to entice potential sons-in-law, especially Niou, but nothing happens - the chapter ends inconclusively, according to Waley even in mid-sentence, as if part is missing.

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

The episode most frequently chosen for illustration from this chapter is the procession of Yugiri to the Rokujo estate with Niou, Kaoru and many others in a light snow flurry after an archery match in the First Month (as in the illustration above). 

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

Reading the Tale of Genji (41): Spirit Summoner (Maboroshi)

 

Maboroshi

Title

"Maboroshi" is a seer or wizard who can travel between this world and the after-world, and who can call back the spirits of the dead. The chapter title is based on a poem by Genji: 'I want to ask the wizard traveling through the skies where her spirit is. I cannot see it even in my dreams.' The poem alludes to the latter half of the Bai Juyi's "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow," and it is also the response to the waka poem which was composed by Genji's father, Emperor Kiritsubo, when he remembered the late Lady Kiritsubo.

Waley has "Mirage," Seidensticker "The Wizard," Tyler "The Seer," and Washburn "Spirit Summoner."

Chronology

This chapter begins in the first month of the year after "The Law" ends and covers that whole year until the 12th month.

Position in the Genji

This chapter, the last in which the central protagonist actually appears, depicts Genji's sorrowful life in the year after the death of his beloved wife Murasaki.

Genji's own death is not described in the novel and the next chapter, "The Perfumed Prince," continues three years later, with the next-generation story of Niou, the son of the Akashi Empress and the present Emperor, and his friend and rival Kaoru, the son of the Third Princess and Kashiwagi (but believed to be the son of Genji). Some scholars believe there may have been an in-between chapter covering Genji's death as one such title, "Kumogakure (Vanished into the Clouds)", has been preserved, but for two reasons I think this is very doubtful. In the first place because the chapter titles are not by Murasaki Shikibu, they were added later - a single title without text doesn't mean anything; and in the second place because aesthetically it is more artistic to elide such a sad description. Everything that can be said about Genji's last days has been said in Maboroshi, a painful description of his death would not add anything. Also the poem by Genji with which this chapter closes, is a clear end point.

The French writer Marguerite Yourcenar is one of several writers who has imagined the death of Genji - in her case in the short story "The Last Love of Prince Genji" in her 1938 collection Oriental Tales.

[Maboroshi, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

Murasaki has passed away, and the new year has come. Genji's sorrow does not abate even though he sees the light of the new spring, secluding himself from New Year's visitors, except his younger brother Hotaru. He spends his days talking to the senior ladies-in-waiting who once served Murasaki, feeling regret and leading a penitential life.

The Akashi Empress returns to the Imperial court, leaving Niou whom Murasaki loved behind for Genji's consolation. Prince Niou takes good care of the plum and cherry trees Murasaki had entrusted to him as one of her last wishes. This gives Genji some consolation, but visits to the Third Princess and the Akashi Lady only remind him all the more of Murasaki. As spring blooms into full glory, his love for Murasaki, who loved spring more than any other season, grows.

In the Fourth Month, Hanachirusato sends him a poem and some clothes for seasonal change. Everything reminds Genji of his dead wife - the call of the hototogisu, the lotus blossoms, the evening cicadas, the pinks, the hovering fireflies - and his gloom cannot be dissipated.

Around the rainy season, he asks Yugiri to arrange for the first anniversary of Murasaki's death. On the anniversary of her death in the Eight Month, he holds a memorial service in front of a mandala of the Buddhist paradise for which Murasaki used to say prayers during her lifetime.

Genji is planning to take holy orders and become a priest after the New Year comes and begins to tidy things up. While he is putting things in order, he finds a bundle of letters which were sent by Murasaki while he was in Suma. The black ink looks clear and beautiful as if the letters had just been written, so he feels great loneliness, but tears them up and burns them (this episode seems to have been inspired by "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," in which the Emperor burns an elixir of life sent by Kaguyahime after she has returned to the moon on August 15).

In the Twelth Month, the annual ceremony of the intoning of the Sutra on the Names of the Buddhas is held at the Rokujo Estate, which included the confession of sins committed during the past year (sange) as well as prayers for longevity. Genji makes his first appearance in public after a long time. He looks much more beautiful and shining than when he was praised as "the Shining," so the priests who knew him from long ago shed tears.

On the last day of the year, while watching the ceremony for driving out devils in which the six-year old Prince Niou takes part, Genji thinks that it will be the last time he will see that precious child and he composes his final poem (one of 19 by Genji in this poem-rich chapter): 

lost in thoughts of love
without realizing it
the months and days passed by
and now both the year and my life
are over today

mono omou to | suguru tsukihi mo | shiranu ma ni | toshi mo wa ga yo mo | kyo ya tsukinuru

Isn't that a very suitable sentiment that summarizes not only the life of Genji with all his womanizing, but also the whole novel from a Buddhist point of view?

Genji-e

The above illustration by Tosa Mitsunobu depicts Genji talking to the head priest and offering him wine after the intoning of the Sutra on the Names of the Buddhas in the twelfth month (note the snow scene). The author ends Genji's story on a Buddhist note, asserting her tale’s identity as a work of literature infused with Buddhist spirituality - Genji has been absolved of his sins and thus cleansed will leave the story; at the same time we hear the shouts of his grandson, announcing that the world continues with a new generation.

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (40): The Law (Minori)

Minori

Title

"Minori" are rites that proclaim the Buddhist Law, the Dharma, in this case the ceremony held by Murasaki to dedicate 1,000 copies of the Lotus sutta. The term is used in a poem exchange between Murasaki and Hanachirusato: 'This is the last Buddhist service, but I think of a bond between us as trustworthy and it will last many lives.'

But in a more symbolic sense "minori" also means the Buddhist truth that all things pass and then refers to the death of Murasaki.

Waley and Tyler translate "The Law"; Seidensticker "Rites" and Washburn "Rites of Sacred law."

Chronology

This chapter begins a few months after the end of Evening Mist and covers the period from spring to autumn in Genji's 51st year.

Position in the Genji

This chapter revolves around the failing health and death of Murasaki, Genji's great love (whom he has betrayed by marrying the Third Princess).

[Minori, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

Murasaki had never really recovered from her illness (after all, it was in the first place a sickness of the heart), and she remained in a poor physical condition. She fervently desired to take holy vows, but Genji refused to let her do so.

On the 10th of the 3rd month, a religious service for the consecration of one thousand copies of the Lotus Sutra was held at the Nijo Mansion as part of a vow made by Murasaki. The ceremony was attended by the Emperor, the Crown Prince, Empress Akikonomu, and everyone else of importance. Murasaki felt she had little time left in this life and she wrote poems to the Akashi Lady and Hanachirusato that hinted at parting.

During the summer, Murasaki's condition got increasingly weaker, and when the Akashi Empress - whose adoptive mother Murasaki was - came to make a sick call, she told the Empress her last requests. She also obliquely left a message to the Empress's little son, Prince Niou, to care for the plum and cherry trees in the garden and from time to time offer blossoms to the Buddha.

On a windy evening, the Akashi Empress visited the bedridden Murasaki, and Genji also joined them to exchange poems comparing the evanescence of life to dew on the bush clover. Right after that, Murasaki's condition got worse, and she quietly passed away at dawn with her hand held by the Empress.

Genji, numb with grief, could not leave the side of Murasaki, but he asked Yugiri to make arrangements that she might have symbolic Buddhist vows administered. The face of Murasaki looked even more beautiful in death than in life.

She died on the 14th of the 8th month, and her remains were cremated on the same day. The next morning, the funeral was held and many people such as the Emperor, To no Chujo and Empress Akikonomu came to give their condolences. Genji, who wanted to leave the world and enter a monastery, controlled himself for decency's sake, but barely managed to survive from one day to the next.

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

One scene often chosen for illustration shows the sutra dedication ceremony, in which Murasaki, the Akashi Lady, the Lady of the Orange Blossoms (Hanachirusato), and Prince Niou watch a masked bugaku performance under the blossoming cherry trees (as in the above). Another scene depicts the final exchange of poems about the transient dew on the autumn bush clover (hagi) between Genji, the dying Murasaki, and her adopted daughter Empress Akashi.

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

Main Characters in The Tale of Genji

Main Characters in The Tale of Genji

Protagonist 

Genji (Hikaru Genji) - the eponymous hero. Second son of Emperor Kiritsubo and the Kiritsubo Consort, a low-ranking concubine. For his own protection, demoted to commoner status and forced to take the name of Minamoto (Genji). Married to Aoi, daughter of the Minister of the Left. Has a secret liaison with the Fujitsubo Lady, his father's new wife, who bears him a son (the future Reizei emperor). Has affairs in his adventurous youth with women of various ranks, Utsusemi, Yugao, Murasaki, Suetsumuhana, Gen no naishi, the Rokujo Lady, Oborozukiyo, and the Akashi Lady. Has a son, Yugiri, with Aoi, after which his wife dies. Goes into exile at Suma and Akashi but returns to the capital in triumph. Has a daughter, the later Akashi Empress, with the Akashi Lady. Becomes guardian of Akikonomu, the daughter of the Rokujo Lady, after her death. Unsuccessfully courts Asagao. Presents Tamakazura to the world as his long lost daughter. Genji rises in rank to the position of Honorary Retired Emperor and lives to see his children becoming Emperor, Empress and Minister, respectively. His political and amorous success is also reflected in his Rokujo estate, a residence built to shelter the most important women in his life.  The peak of Genji's glory, however, also announces his gradual decline, and chapters such as “Nowaki” and “Wakana” reveal his vulnerability vis-à-vis a new generation of young heroes, Yugiri and Kashiwagi.  Although Murasaki is his great love and unofficial first wife, he marries the Third Princess, who commits adultery with Kashiwagi ("Wakana II") and bears an illegitimate son, Kaoru. The disintegration of Genji's world becomes final with the death of his beloved Murasaki, in chapter forty, “Minori.” Mourns Murasaki's death and prepares to take holy vows in "Maboroshi"(his death, however, is not described by Murasaki Shikibu).

Parents of Genji 

Kiritsubo Emperor (Kiritsuboin) - Genji's father. Brother of Princess Omiya (To no Chujo’s mother), Prince Hanazono (the father of Princess Asagao), and the late crown prince who was the husband of the Lady Rokujo. He favors the lowly Kiritsubo Lady, but aware of Genji's fate were he to attract the hostility of the Kokiden Lady, the Emperor demotes Genji from imperial prince to commoner. Thus Genji is forbidden to ascend to the throne. Instead, the Kiritsubo Emperor names Suzaku, Genji's half-brother and the son of the ambitious Kokiden as Heir Apparent. Furthermore, the emperor also arranges Genji's marriage to Aoi, the daughter of the Minister of the Left and, by this, ensures that his son will benefit from the powerful political support of his father-in-law, the only one able to balance the influence of Kokiden and her party, including the Minister of the Right. Sometime after the death of his beloved Kiritsubo, the emperor learns of the existence of an imperial princess, referred to as Fujitsubo (after the name of her residence, the Wisteria Pavilion), who uncannily resembles his lost love. Of an incomparable higher status than her unfortunate predecessor, Fujitsubo goes on to become the emperor's favorite and ultimately Empress, but her resemblance to Genji's mother also attracts Genji's initially childish interest in her. This childish interest, once turned erotic, fuels much of the later narrative plot. Note that there is only a five-year difference between Fujitsubo, officially Genji's stepmother, and Genji himself: Fujitsubo enters the palace at 16 when Genji is 11. So he is much closer in age to her than his father, who is presumably in his thirties. (chapter 1; dies chapter 10)

Kiritsubo Lady (Kiritsubo Koi) – Beloved concubine of the Kiritsubo Emperor and mother of Genji. Daughter of a Major counselor who was a brother of the Akashi Priest. Low ranking consort (koi) who is loved by the first emperor. Lady Kiritsubo is disadvantaged at court because she lacks parental support - her father is already dead at the beginning of the narrative. Because she enjoys the Emperor's favor, she provokes the jealousy of other imperial concubines, in particular that of the Kokiden Consort, a lady with well-founded hopes of becoming Empress. As a result, Kiritsubo is constantly harassed by the other women and the humiliations she has to suffer at court eventually trigger her premature death, only three years after having given birth to Genji. Her name is derived from the Paulownia Pavilion, where she resided while at the Imperial Court, the farthest location from the emperor's chambers and symbolic of her low status. (Chapter 1)

Brothers of Genji

Suzaku Emperor (Suzakuin) – Eldest son of the Kiritsubo Emperor by Kokiden; half-brother of Genji, and grandson of the powerful Minister of the Right.
There is an undercurrent of rivalry in the relation between Suzuku and Genji. Suzaku is named Heir Apparent, although the Kiritsubo Emperor would have personally preferred to make Genji crown prince. He is a puppet in the hands of his mother Kokiden. He sees the women he would like to have taken away from him by Genji, such as Oborozukiyo and Akikonomu. Throughout the narrative he is a sort of pathetic figure, although he also retains a tragic dignity, especially during the “Wakana” chapters, when, after having abdicated and taken Buddhist vows, his religious devotion is obstructed by his excessive paternal love for his favorite daughter, the Third Princess (like Genji's death, Suzaku's death is not featured in the narrative).

Hotaru (Prince Hotaru, Hotaru no Miya) – Son of Emperor Kiritsubo, and therefore Genji’s half-brother. Hotaru always remains close to Genji, even when more and more people break ties with him just before he leaves in exile to Suma. He is an elegant person and acts as judge in the picture contest ("E-awase") and the incense-making contest. Hotaru harbors special feelings for Genji's adopted daughter, Tamakazura. He receives the nickname “Hotaru,” “Firefly,” because Genji releases fireflies in Tamakazura’s room to show her outline to him through the blinds. Later becomes the husband of Higekuro’s daughter Makibashira.

Eight Prince (Hachi no Miya) - Appears in the Uji chapters. Eight son of the Kiritsubo Emperor and half-brother of Genji and Suzaku. Father of the Uji princesses and Ukifune. Ostracized by court society for attempting to supplant the crown prince (the future Reizei emperor). He lives in retirement in Uji, where he raises his two daughters and devotes himself to Buddhism. Dies in "Shii ga Moto."

The women around Genji

Fujitsubo (Lady Fujitsubo, Fujitsubo Chugu) - Genji's stepmother. Daughter of an earlier emperor (now deceased) and thus imperial princess, Fujitsubo enters the service of Emperor Kiritsubo at the age of sixteen, mainly because of her resemblance to the deceased Lady Kiritsubo. She soon becomes an imperial favorite, but also Genji's childhood crush and later lifelong obsession. By chapter seven, “Momiji no ha,” it becomes obvious that Fujitsubo (aged 23) and Genji (aged 18) are already involved in an illicit love affair (although the author does not describe it, but rather implies the beginning of the relationship), the result of which is the birth of Reizei (future emperor) whom everyone, except the two lovers, believes to be the son of the Kiritsubo Emperor. Elevated to the rank of Empress and having her son named Heir Apparent (Reizei is to succeed Suzaku), Fujitsubo gradually grows more and more troubled by guilt and the fear of having her secret exposed. Once Genji's advances intensify and, in the public realm, the faction of the Kokiden Lady comes to power, Fujitsubo's only countermeasure is to take vows and become a nun (“Sakaki”). By this, she hopes on the one hand, to put Genji off and eliminate the risk of their affair being discovered and, on the other hand, to reassure Kokiden that she renounces any secular, political claims to power. After Genji's return from exile, as a retired empress dowager she forms a political alliance with him to safeguard the future of their son Reizei, but all the same privately keeps him at a distance. Fujitsubo makes her debut as a substitute for Kiritsubo, yet, later, Genji will look for substitutes for her, in women such as Utsusemi, the Third Princess, but most of all, in Murasaki). (chapter 1; chapter 10 becomes a nun; chapter 19 dies aged 36 or 37)

Aoi (Princess Aoi, Aoi no Ue) - Genji's first official wife, the daughter of the Minister of the Left and Princess Omiya; sister of Genji’s friend To no Chujo. From the beginning of their marriage, she and Genji are not on the best of terms. She marries Genji when she is sixteen and he only twelve. Proud and distant to her husband, Aoi is constantly aware of the age difference between them and very much hurt by Genji's philandering. For only a short while, after giving birth to Genji's son, Yugiri, and suffering episodes of spirit possession, does Aoi actually appear sympathetic in Genji's eyes. Aoi dies at the end of the “Aoi” chapter at age 26. Genji feels deep remorse after Aoi's death for not paying more attention to her and not holding her in higher regard. (chapter 1-chapter 9)

Murasaki (Murasaki no Ue) – Daughter of Prince Hyobu by a minor consort. Niece of Fujitsubo. She makes her debut into the tale as a substitute for her unattainable aunt, but she gradually outshines Fujitsubo in Genji's eyes. In fact, her very name, “Murasaki” translated as “Lavender,” plays on the similarity of two colors in both their names (the color “murasaki” is purple of a darker hue than “fuji”, wisteria, of Fujitsubo's name). Discovered by Genji in the Northern Hills when she is only ten, she is taken into his Nijo residence after the death of her grandmother where she is molded into Genji's ideal woman. She remains Genji's most important lover throughout the tale, but, because of her imperfect social status (she is of royal blood on her father's side, but her mother was a commoner), she can never be acknowledged as Genji's main wife (kita no kata). For that reason, her position is perpetually insecure, especially when Genji's attention shifts to other women including the Akashi Lady and Asagao, but most importantly, the Third Princess. Childless her entire life, Murasaki adopts Genji's daughter by the Akashi Lady in "Matsukaze" and raise her to become Empress. Shocked by Genji's marriage to the Third Princess, towards the end of her life she repeatedly expresses her desire to become a nun, but meets Genji's resolute opposition. She becomes the victim of spirit possession in chapter 35 and dies in chapter 40 at age 43 without having realized her wish to take vows. The beauty of her character resides in its complexity. (chapters 5–40)

Rokujo Lady (Rokujo no Miyasudokoro) – A lady of high birth and Genji's senior by seven years. Introduced in the tale in chapter four, “Yugao,” as Genji's lover, Rokujo is not mentioned in any of the previous chapters. Nevertheless, the later narrative does clarify certain biographical aspects: she is the widow of a former Crown Prince (presumably one of Emperor Kiritsubo's brothers) by whom she has a daughter, Akikonomu, and would have become an empress, if not for her husband's untimely death. Because of her outstanding social position, she is entitled to be treated with the utmost respect, a fact which Genji, too caught up in his philandering, neglects to do. She is one of Genji's neglected lovers. Humiliated by Genji's disrespect for her, angered and jealous by the rumors of his affairs, Rokujo becomes the perfect candidate for being the possessing spirit behind Yugao's demise, at least in traditional interpretations of the tale. Her identification as possessing spirit is further reinforced in the “Aoi” chapter, where several clues seem to make her the culprit in Aoi's possession and death. Troubled by the gossip about her involvement in Aoi's possession, Rokujo herself comes to believe in her own guilt. As a result, she decides to follow her daughter Akikonomu, appointed as High Priestess, to Ise. After her return to the capital, she entrusts Akikonomu to Genji's guardianship and dies in chapter fourteen, “Miotsukushi.” Following her death, she keeps being identified as the spirit inflicting torment upon Genji's women, Murasaki and the Third Princess. (chapters 4–14; as the presumed possessing spirit, chapters 35, 36)

Akikonomu (Lady Akikonomu, Akikonomu Chugu) – Daughter of the Rokujo Lady and a crown prince. Becomes Ise Priestess in "Sakaki." Genji later acts as her guardian (but never as her lover). Becomes a high Consort (Umetsubo) of the Reizei Emperor, Genji's secret son, in "E-awase" and is promoted to empress in "Otome." Her marriage remains however without issue. In Genji’s Rokujo Estate, she lives in the Autumn Section; her sobriquet "Akikonomu", "One fond of autumn," derives from a debate on the seasons in "Usugumo."

Utsusemi (Lady of the Locust Shell) – A lady of lower rank, after the death of her father she has no choice but to become the second wife of the elderly Iyo Deputy, whose first wife is dead at the time of the narrative; this means she is also the stepmother of the Governor of Kii. She attracts Genji's attention, but resists his courtship despite his repeated attempts to win her over. Although she will not become a central character, Utsusemi is memorable as the first woman Genji courts in the tale and whose courtship the reader actually witnesses and also as the first to  resist him. At the end of the fourth chapter, "Yugao", Utsusemi leaves the capital with her husband who has been appointed governor of a province. Utsusemi returns in chapter sixteen, “Sekiya,” when she meets Genji on her return from the provinces. They exchange poems, and Utsusemi is shown to regret not being able to accept Genji's advances (because of Utsusemi's marriage and differences in rank). The last time the readers encounter Utsusemi is in chapter 23, “Hatsune,” where we learn that she has become a nun after her husband's death. The reason behind her decision is her desire to escape the unwelcome amorous attentions of her step-son, the Governor of Kii. After taking the tonsure, Utsusemi comes to depend upon Genji and takes residence in his Nijo Mansion. (chapters 2,3,4; reenters the tale in chapter 16; is mentioned again in chapter 23)

Yugao (Lady of the Evening Faces, the Twilight Beauty) – A woman of lower status of about nineteen with whom Genji has a short affair in the eponymous chapter four, “Yugao.” Before encountering Genji, Yugao was To no Chujo's secondary wife and even gave him a daughter, the future Tamakazura. However, because of the jealousy of To no Chujo's main wife, Yugao leaves him and goes into hiding. It is under these circumstances that Genji encounters her, while out visiting his former wet nurse (Koremitsu's mother). The woman's name refers to the flowers that attract Genji's attraction to Yugao's shabby abode. Genji becomes very fond of this woman, of whom he apparently knows next to nothing, and proceeds to move her to an abandoned mansion where she falls prey to spirit possession and dies. The possessing spirit is traditionally associated with Lady Rokujo. (chapter 4)

Suetsumuhana (The Safflower Lady, Princess Suetsumuhana) – Daughter of a dead prince of Hitachi. a long-suffering, red-nosed lady, who is very old-fashioned.  However, because of her talent at playing the zither, Genji becomes attracted to her. He neglects her while in exile, but provides all kinds of assistance after his return to the captal.

Gen no Naishi (The Dame of Staff) - An elderly courtesan in the service of Emperor Kiritsubo. She flirts with Genji, and becomes the object of his attentions in "Momiji no ga," even though he knows any relationship with her would be inappropriate.

Oborozukiyo (Princess Oborozukiyo, The Lady of the Misty Moon) – Daughter of a Minister of the Right and sister of Kokiden. Loved by the Suzaku Emperor, she is herself drawn to Genji and even initiates a brief romantic encounter with him in "Hana no en. " Continues to see Genji after she enters the service of the Suzaku emperor as naishi no kami. The ensuing scandal leads to Genji's exile ("Sakaki").

Asagao (Princess Asagao, Asagao no Himegimi, “The Lady of the Bluebells”) - Daughter of a brother of the Kiritsubo Emperor (Shikibukyo no Miya) and therefore first cousin of Genji. She serves as High Priestess of the Kamo shrines. Genji is in love with her, but she keeps refusing him. As a princess, she is of higher rank than Murasaki, whose position would be endangered were it to come to a marriage.

Hanachirusato (Lady of the Orange Blossoms, Lady from the Village of Falling Flowers) – One of Genji’s minor ladies, but installed in the Winter Section of the Rokujo Estate. Entrusted with the care of young people, including Tamakazura and Yugiri. Takes care of the practical side of Genji's household.

Akashi Lady (Akashi no Kimi) – The Akashi Priest's daughter, the mother of Genji's daughter. Born as a middle-ranked noble, a love affair with Genji was not her own plan, but her father was insistent in getting them involved in a relationship. In Akashi, she gives a birth to a girl, the only daughter of Genji. She moves to Oi outside the capital and brings up her daughter (called Princess Akashi, later Empress Akashi) until the age of four, when Genji decides that Lady Murasaki should adopt the little girl - a higher status means that the girl when she grows up will be able to enter the palace. Lady Akashi is saddened, but gradually accepts the situation, which means she will be separated from her daughter for many years and not see her grow up. Later, she meets her daughter again, now a court lady of the crown prince, and receives many honors as the birth mother of Princess Akashi. She then receives a letter from her father about his fortune-telling dream. He writes the dream gave him a prediction that his granddaughter by Lady Akashi would become the empress, and he lived his whole life to realize that prediction. Lives in the Winter Section of the Rokujo Estate.

Tamakazura – Long-lost daughter of To no Chujo and Yugao, and Kashiwagi’s half-sister. Taken by her wet-nurse to Tsukushi after her mother's disappearance. Courted by the boorish Taifu no Gen. Flees to the capital where she meets Genji, who tries to claim her as his own daughter. She wants to meet her real father, who doesn't know she is still alive. Genji forms a salon for her admirers (Kashiwagi, Hotaro, Higekuro). He takes pleasure in watching young men compete for Tamakazura's favor. Her brothers, sons of To no Chujo, are involved, not knowing that she is their sister. Genji himself flirts with her, and is sometimes barely able to control himself. Later, Genji reveals her true identity to To no Chujo ("Miyuki") and arranges for her to serve the emperor ("Fujibakama"). She is however forced into marriage by a middle-aged courtier, General Higekuro, and becomes his wife instead and the mother of many children.

The Third Princess (Princess Nyosan, Onna San no Miya) – The beloved daughter of the Suzaku Emperor and sister of the last emperor in the tale. She is a niece of late Empress Fujitsubo in her maternal lineage. Married to Genji by her concerned father ("Wakana I"). She is young and naive, and Kashiwagi exploits her innocence and makes love to her, their affair resulting in the birth of Kaoru ("Wakana II"). Unable to bear her guilt, she becomes a nun.

Genji's offspring

Reizei Emperor (Reizeiin) – Son of Fujitsubo and Genji, but thought by the world to be the Kiritsubo Emperor’s son. Becomes crown prrince in "Momiji no ga" and ascends the throne in "Miotsukushi." Learns of his true parentage in "Usugumo." Akikonomu is his consort. He abdicates without issue in "Wakana II. "

Yugiri – Genji’s son by his principal wife Aoi. His mother dies days after his birth, and he is raised by Genji's father-in-law the Minister of the Left when Genji goes into exile. On Genji's return, Yugiri serves as a page in the Emperor's court. Chapter 21 revolves around his thorough education and romance with Kumoi no Kari when both are 14. The match is long opposed by her father To no Chujo, but they eventually win him over and marry in Chapters 32-33. He is the best friend of Kashiwagi. When Kashiwagi takes his own life, Yugiri becomes obsessed with his widow, the neglected Second Princess, Ochiba. Kumoi no Kari returns to her father's house with their daughters in the wake of this affair, but they remain married. Yugiri becomes the most powerful figure at court after Genji's death. Marries his daughter, Roku no Kimi, to Niou ("Yadorigi"). (Chapters 12-52)

Akashi Princess / Empress (Akashi no Himegimi / Chugu) – Genji’s daughter by the Akashi Lady and therefore half-sister of Yugiri and, unknown to the world, the Reizei Emperor as well. Born at Akashi, adopted by Murasaki in "Matsukaze," and married to the crown prince in "Umegae." Gives birth to a son in "Wakana I," and becomes the mother of the crown prince when her husband (the fourth emperor in the tale, a son of Suzaku) ascends the throne in "Wakana II." Becomes Empress by "Minori." Mother of the First Princess and Niou among others.

Kaoru – Son of the Third Princess by Kashiwagi. Thought by the world to be Genji’s son. As Genji’s son, he becomes half-brother to the Akashi Empress and therefore uncle to his close companion Prince Niou; as the Third Princess’s son, he is Niou’s cousin. Falls in love with Oigimi but fails to make her his wife ("Agemaki"). After Oigimi's death, pursues her sister Naka no Kimi, who is already married to Niou and who likewise turns him away ("Yadorigi"). Discovers Ukifune and takes her to Uji, where she becomes entangled with Niou ("Ukifune"). After Ukifune's apparent suicide, pursues other women at court ("Kagero"). Learns about Ukifune's existence, but his messenger returns empty-handed ("Yume no ukihashi").

The family of the Minister of the Left 

Minister of the Left (Sadaijin) - Genji's father-in-law, father to Aoi and To no Chujo, his role is to maintain a political balance at the Emperor Kiritsubo's court by countering the influence exerted by the Minister of the Right. Married to Omiya, the sister of the reigning emperor. He is entrusted with Genji's fate and becomes his chief supporter during Genji's younger years. Even after the death of Aoi, the relationship with Genji survives, as Genji entrusts his son by Aoi, Yugiri, to him. With the death of the Kiritsubo Emperor, however, the Minister falls out of favor and eventually retires from public activities. Dies in "Usugumo." (chapter 1-chapter 19)

Omiya (Princess Omiya) – Sister of the Kiritsubo Emperor and principal wife of the Minister of the Left. Mother of To no Chujo and Aoi. Raises Yugiri after Aoi's death and looks after Kumoi no Kari until To no Chujo takes her away in "Otome."

To no Chujo - Son of the Minister of the Left and Omiya. Brother of Aoi, father of Kashiwagi, Kobai, Takakazura, the Omi Lady and many other children. Marries Shi no Kimi, the daughter of the Minister of the Right. He becomes Genji's friend and rival in love during their adolescence and youth. Their relationship remains fairly harmonious for the first twelve chapters of the tale: they engage in conversations about women, share their amorous experiences and love letters and, once in a while compete, or pretend to compete, in conquering a woman (with Suetsumuhana, the competition seems more genuine, whereas in the case of Gen no Naishi, it is a mock-competition meant to create a humorous interlude). Unbeknownst to To no Chujo however, Genji has an affair with his secondary wife, Yugao, finds out about the existence of his friend's child, yet reveals nothing to him, and, for all that we know, To no Chujo remains ignorant of this affair until the end. After Genji's return from exile however, his friendly rivalry with To no Chujo is no longer related to love matters, but becomes political. Although associated with the Fujiwara clan, To no Chujo is not on the winning side: the daughters he sends to court are always outshone by Genji's own candidates so that To no Chujo can never get to play the part of a Fujiwara regent. His eldest daughter, the Kokiden Consort (No. 2) competes with Akikonomu, Genji's adopted daughter. Takes Kumoi no Kari away from Yugiri in the hope of marrying her to the crown prince ("Otome"). Embarrased by the appearance of Omi no Kimi, an uncouth woman who claims to be his daughter. Later in the tale, the two heroes, Genji and To no Chujo seem to reach some sort of reconciliation once Genji reveals to To no Chujo the existence of his daughter, Tamakazura, and the latter finally accepts Yugiri, Genji's son, as his son-in-law. To no Chujo eventually becomes Prime Minister and dies a great man. (chapter 1-chapter 41)

Shi no Kimi of the Minister of the Right (Udaijin no Shi no Kimi) – Younger sister of Kokiden and older sister of Oborozukiyo. Official wife of To no Chujo. Mother of Kashiwagi, Kobai, and Kokiden (a different Kokiden from the previous one).

Kashiwagi - The eldest son of To no Chujo by Shi no Kimi and half-brother of Tamakazura. One of Tamakazura's unsuccesful suitors. Married to Princess Ochiba, but loves the Third Princess (her sister), and fathers Kaoru by her ("Wakana II"). His cousin Yugiri’s close companion. When Genji finds out that he has made the Third Princess pregnant, Kashiwagi slowly takes his own life by starving himself ("Kashiwagi").

Kobai - The second son of To no Chujo and younger brother of Kashiwagi. His mother is Shi no Kimi of the Minster of the Right. Becomes Minister of the Right in "Takekawa." He marries Makibashira (daughter of Higekuro), after the death of her husband Prince Hotaru.

Kokiden (Kokiden no Nyogo) – Daughter of To no Chujo. Empress Kokiden, the mother of the Suzaku Emperor, is her aunt. First concubine of the Reizei Emperor, who at first favors her, but later prefers Akikonomu, so that she does not manage to become his empress.

Kumoi no Kari - Daughter of To no Chujo. Raised by her paternal grandmother, Princess Omiya, but taken away by her father who hopes to make her an imperial consort. Long-time love and later wife of Genji’s son Yugiri - they are reunited in "Fuji no uraba." However, the marriage hits turbulence when Yugiri marries Princess Ochiba in "Yugiri."

Kurodo no Shosho - son of Yugiri and Kumoi no Kari. Unsuccessfully pursues Tamakazura’s elder daughter (chapter 44).

Omi (Lady from Omi) – Daughter of To no Chujo by a lesser woman. Brought out from the provinces with hopes of providing competition to Tamakazura, who was then thought to be Genji’s daughter. Her lack of courtly manners leads to comic relief ("Tokonatsu").

Genji’s political opponents 

Kokiden (Kokiden no Nyogo) – Daughter of a Minister of the Right and sister of Oborozukiyo. Principal rival of the Kiritsubo Lady and Fujitsubo for the Kiritsubo Emperor’s affection. Bears him the Suzaku Emperor, Genji’s half-brother. Bitterly jealous of the emperor's love for Kiritsubo, once her rival is dead, her animosity comes to affect her rival's son, Genji. Thus, due to political scheming, she finally has her son, Suzaku, appointed Heir Apparent. Nevertheless, once Fujitsubo debuts into the narrative, Kokiden is confronted with a much more powerful rival, one that is more high-ranking than Kiritsubo and thus can claim the title of Empress, leaving Kokiden to content herself with being “only” the Empress Mother. Time and again, Kokiden figures in the narrative as Genji's arch rival, plotting and scheming to eliminate him from court and finally succeeding in stripping him of his rank and sending him into exile at Suma. Genji's return from exile marks the beginning of his political ascension and also his victory over the Kokiden Lady. (chapter 1–14)

Minister of the Right (Udaijin) - Father of Kokiden, Oborozukiyo, and others, and the Kiritsubo emperor's father-in-law. Marries on daughter (Shi no Kimo) to To no Chujo and another one (Oborozukiyo) to the Suzaku Emperor. The Minister of the Right plays a role similar to the historical position of the Fujiwara leaders. Like them, the Minister marries his daughter to the emperor, has his grandchild appointed Heir Apparent and rules de facto after the abdication (in the Genji, after the death) of the emperor. Stands in opposition of Genji and the Minister of the Left. His discovery of Genji in Oborozukiyo's private quarters leads to Genji's exile in "Sakaki." (chapter 1-chapter 13)

Hyobu (Prince Hyobu, Hyobukyo no Miya) - Brother of Fujitsubo and father of Murasaki and of Higekuro’s first wife. Later becomes Prince Shikibu no Miya. Of royal blood (like Fujitsubo, he is the son of a former emperor), Prince Hyobu is married with a woman suiting his high status who is extremely jealous of Murasaki's mother, a woman below her own social position. The text goes as far as to suggest that Murasaki's mother died because of the constant harassment of Hyobu's main wife, not unlike Kiritsubo. After the woman's death however, Hyobu and his wife are both willing to take Murasaki into their household, but Genji kidnaps her before Hyobu can act. When Murasaki becomes Genji's wife, Hyobu is informed of his daughter's fate and, for a while, his relationship with Murasaki seems good. Once Genji falls out of favor and is exiled however, Hyobu cuts all ties with his daughter, a mistake which Genji will not forgive after he rises to the top of the political hierarchy.

Shikibukyo Miya no Kitanokata - The wife of Prince Hyobu. Has a strong enmity toward her stepdaughter Murasaki and becomes a factor in his estrangement from his daughter. She also turns her husband into an opponent of Genji, which is detrimental to his further career. When her eldest daughter (the official wife of Higekuro) divorces her husband and returns to her parents' home, she vents her resentment toward Genji.

Genji’s retainers 

Koremitsu - Genji's foster brother (in fact his milk brother, menotogo; Koremitsu's mother was Genji's wet nurse), trusted servant and accomplice. He plays his most prominent part in the “Yugao” chapter, where he approaches Yugao and facilitates Genji's subsequent courtship of the lady. After Yugao's death, it is Koremitsu who arranges her funeral. Similarly to the Yugao episode, Koremitsu also serves Genji in the following chapter, “Wakamurasaki,” where he acts as a go-between for Genji and Shonagon, Murasaki's nurse, as well as Genji's accomplice in the kidnapping of Murasaki. A very useful servant and mediator in Genji's love affairs, Koremitsu even accompanies Genji during his exile to Suma. Later in the tale, however, his presence becomes more sporadic. (chapters 4–21)

Gosechi (Gosechi no kimi) - Koremitsu’s daughter. Yugiri falls in love with her when she acts as Gosechi dancer. He later takes her as his secondary wife and has 4 children with her.

Persons connected to Fujitsubo

Omyobu - A lady-in-waiting in Fujitsubo's service and Genji's accomplice. Her major narrative role is to facilitate Genji's access to Fujitsubo, an event which will have as its result the birth of the future emperor Reizei. In addition, she acts as a go-between in their epistolary exchanges. In the end of her appearances, she is a nun who has taken vows with Fujitsubo. (chapters 5–12)

 

Persons connected to Utsusemi 

The Iyo Deputy (Iyo no Suke, Vice-Governor) – Utsusemi's husband. The father of the Governor of Kii and Nokiba no Ogi, both by his previous wife. Later becomes the Deputy Governor of Hitachi. In the fleeting moments he appears in Chapter 2, he is unhappy that Genji has stopped by his home, even if it is due to taboos, and doesn't like being ordered around by somebody he hardly knows. Dies in "Sekiya." (chapters 2,4 and 16)

Governor of Kii (Ki no Kami) – One of Genji's retainers, he is the son of the Iyo Deputy and stepson of Utsusemi. Later becomes Governor of Kawachi. (chapters 2 and 16)

Chujo (Utsusemi's Chujo) – Female attendant of Utsusemi. Her name literally means “the captain.” Genji was a Captain in the Palace Guards at the time of his meeting with Utsusemi, so he is able to steal into the lady's chambers by taking advantage of the confusion between Chujo's name and his rank. (chapter 2)

Kogimi – Utsusemi's brother and 12 or 13 at the time of the narrative in the “Hahakigi” chapter. Genji is delighted with the boy and uses him as a go-between in the letter exchanges with Utsusemi. (chapters 2 and 3; reappears in chapter 16)

Nokiba no Ogi – The daughter of the Iyo Deputy and the sister of the Governor of Kii, in other words, Utsusemi's stepdaughter, but also her companion. She is a fleeting presence in the tale and only briefly does she take center stage in chapter three, “Utsusemi,” when, in a darkened room, Genji mistakes her for Utsusemi. (chapters 3,4)

Persons connected to Yugao 

Ukon (Yugao's Ukon) – The daughter of Yugao's nurse and the lady-in-waiting closest to Yugao. Orphaned at an early age, Ukon was raised by Yugao's father and grew up together with the lady, whom she is extremely attached to. After losing Yugao, she wants to follow her mistress into death, but gives in to Genji's pleas and enters his service. She will come to play a great role in the discovery of Yugao's daughter, Tamakazura, during a pilgrimage to Hasedera. (chapters 4 and 22) 

Persons connected to Murasaki 

Kitayama no Amagimi (The Nun, Murasaki's grandmother) – Murasaki's maternal grandmother who took custody of the child after the mother's death. While alive, she adamantly rejects Genji's offers of taking care of the girl because she sees through his innocent-looking pleas and guesses his ulterior sexual designs for Murasaki. At the same time, she does not want Murasaki to return to her father's household for fear of Prince Hyobu's main wife, whose jealousy of Murasaki's mother might make her persecute the child as well. After the grandmother's death, Genji takes advantage of the situation and spirits Murasaki away before her father is able to take her into his household. (chapter 5)

Shonagon (Murasaki's Shonagon) – Murasaki's nurse and most important protector after the grandmother. Even so, after the grandmother's death, Shonagon is not high-ranking enough to oppose Genji's plans and, faced with the decision of either to follow her young mistress to Genji's Nijo (at the risk of being accused of kidnapping by Prince Hyobu, once he finds out the girl is missing) or to abandon her, she takes the first choice. Later, impressed by Genji's social standing as well as by the care he devotes to Murasaki, Shonagon is quite happy with her decision. As Murasaki ages, Shonagon slips out of the narrative unnoticed. (chapters 4–12)

 

Persons connected to the Akashi Lady 

Akashi Priest (Akashi no Nyodo) – Retired Governor of Harima province and fFather of the Akashi Lady, of whom he has high expectations. Introduces Genji to his daughter.  He is a cousin to the Kiritsubo lady, Genji’s mother. Enters the mountains and dies after his daughter gives birth to a prince in "Wakana I."

Akashi Nun (Akashi no Amagimi) – The wife of the Akashi Priest and mother of the Akashi Lady.

Persons connected to the Third Princess

Kojiju – servant of the Third Princess; acts rather treacherously as intermediary for Kashiwagi.
 

Persons connected to Tamakazura 

Shoni no Menoto - Tamakazura's nanny. Accompanies Tamakazura to Tsukushi (Kyushu) when her husband is transferred to Dazaifu. Finally decides to flee from Tsukushi because of the forced marriage proposal of Taiyu no Gen (see below) to Tamakazura. 

Taiyu no Gen (Taifu no Gen) - A powerful lord in Higo Province. He is violent and boorish suitor and collector of women. He asks Tamakazura to marry him, but is so disliked by Tamakazura that she flees to Kyoto ("Takakazura").

Higekuro – the “bearded black general,” son of the Minister of the Right and brother of the Jokyoden consort. For many years he has been married to the daughter of Prince Hyobu (Murasaki’s stepsister), but eventually he takes Tamakazura as his wife. His principal wife then returns to her parents' home with their daughter Makibashira. Later becomes Minister of the Right.

Makibashira - Daughter of Higekuro, by his first principal wife, the daughter of Prince Hyobu. After the separation of her parents, she grows up in the house of her grandfather. She marries Prince Hotaru in "Wakana II" and has a daughter by him, but their relationship is not good. After the death of Prince Hotaru, she becomes Kobai's principal wife ("Kobai").

Persons connected to Ochiba no Miya

Princess Ochiba (Ochiba no Miya, Second Princess) – Daughter of the Suzaku Emperor and wife of Kashiwagi, who is fatally drawn to her half sister the Third Princess. Left a widow in "Kashiwagi." Pursued by Kashiwagi’s friend Yugiri after his death; despite her resistance, she becomes his wife in "Yugiri."

Ichijo no Miyasudokoro (The Lady of the First Ward) - Suzakuin's second consort. Mother of Princess Ochiba. She mistakenly believed that Yugiri had slept with Princess Ochiba, and died after leaving behind a poem of resentment due to her long-standing illness and her heartache ("Yugiri").

The Ten Uji Chapters

Kaoru – The protagonist of Part III. Son of the Third Princess. Legally he is known as the son of Genji and the Third Princess but his real father is the late Kashiwagi. As Genji’s son, he is half-brother to the Akashi Empress and therefore uncle to his close companion Prince Niou; as the Third Princess’s son, he is Niou’s cousin. Learning this secret makes him noncommittal and lean towards Buddhism. He falls in love with Oigimi in Uji, the first daughter of the Eight Prince, but fails to make her his wife ("Agemaki"). After Oigimi's death, pursues her sister Naka no Kimi, but she likewise turns him away ("Yadorigi"). Discovers Ukifune and takes her to Uji , where she becomes entangled with Niou ("Ukifune"). After Ukifune's apparent suicide, pursues other women at court ("Kagero"). Learns that Ukifune is still alive, but his messenger returns empty-handed ("Yume no ukihashi"). 

Niou (Prince Niou, Niou no Miya) – Son of the Akashi Empress and the last (unnamed) emperor in the tale; a grandson of Genji. Close companion and rival of Kaoru, his cousin and uncle, who is the only one who equals him in splendor. Privately marries Naka no Kimi in "Agemaki," but is pressured into taking Roku no Kimi (Yugiri's daughter) as his principal wife ("Yadorigi"). Something of a woman chaser, he pursues Ukifune, Kaoru's secret lover ("Ukifune").

Oigimi (Agemaki) – Eldest daughter of the Eight Prince and sister of Naka no Kimi, half-sister of Ukifune. Loved by Kaoru and shares much with him but refuses to marry. Falls ill and dies in "Agemaki."

Naka no Kimi (Kozeri) -  Second duaghter of the Eight Prince and sister of Oigimi, half sister of Ukifune. Privately marries Niou in "Agemaki," moves to the capital in "Sawarabi," rejects Kaoru's advances and bears Niou a son in "Yadorigi." 

Ukifune – Unrecognized daughter of the Eighth Prince, half-sister of Oigimi and Naka no Kimi. Raised by her mother and stepfather (Vice-Governor of Hitachi) in the eastern provinces. Pursued by Kaoru as a memento of the deceased Oigimi and kept at Uji, where she is discovered by Niou. Attempts to commit suicide ("Ukifune"). Saved by a passing Buddhist priest, the Bishop of Yokawa and is taken to a nunnery at Ono. Courted there by Chujo. Takes holy vows ("Tenarai"). She refuses to acknowledge Kaoru, who sends her brother as a messenger and tries to persuade her to come back to him ("Yume no ukihashi").

Governor of Hitachi (Hitachi no Kami) - Chujo no Kimi's husband, Ukifune's boorish stepfather.

Eight Prince (Hachi no Miya) - Genji and Suzaku's half brother. Father of Oigimi, Naka no Kimi and Ukifune. Ostracized by court society for trying to supplant the crown prince (the future Reizei emperor). retreats to Uji where he raises his two daughters and devotes himself to Buddhism ("Hashihime"). Dies in "Shii ga Moto."

Second Princess (Onna Ni no Miya) – Daughter of the (unnamed) last emperor in the tale by his former consort Reikeiden (not by the Akashi Empress). Principal wife of Kaoru in "Yadorigi", who is however drawn to her half-sister the First Princess.

Roku no Kimi - Yugiri's sixth daughter (by Koremitsu's daughter), later Niou's principal wife in "Yadorigi".

Ukifune’s mother (Chujo no Kimi) – Attendant of the Eight Prince; bears him Ukifune. Both are unwelcome in his house and she subsequently marries the Vice-Governor of Hitachi.

The Lieutenant of the Left Palace Guard (Sakon no Shosho) - Ukifune's fiance. He wants the backing of the Vice-Governor of Hitachi, but when he finds out that Ukifune is not his real daughter, he breaks off the engagement and gets engaged to one of her younger sisters.

Yokawa (Bishop of Yokawa, Yokawa no Sozu) – Priest who discovers Ukifune , looks after her, and gives her the tonsure ("Tenarai").

Bishop of Yokawa’s sister (Ono no Imoto Ama) - The younger sister of the Bishop of Yokogawa. Cherishes Ukifune as a substitute for her dead daughter. When she learns that Ukifune has taken the vow while she was away, she is greatly grieved.

[Incorporates some parts of the public domain articles on the Japanese and English Wikipedia; also inspired by lists in the Genji translation by Royall Tyler, in The Bridge of Dreams by Haruo Shirane and in The Splendor of Longing in the Tale of Genji by Norma Field]

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