The Tale of Genji: A Story Woven Over a Thousand Years

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in Prose (Genji Monogatari, Makura no Soshi, etc.)

The World of Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of Genji

Just as there are thousand-year-old stories like Dante’s The Divine Comedy or Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Japan has a novel, The Tale of Genji, that spans over 2,334 pages across six volumes in the popular Iwanami Bunko edition.
While many Japanese people have some familiarity with the story from school or through traditional arts like Noh and Kabuki theater, few have likely read the entire epic.

This post will introduce you to this remarkable work.

Table of Contents

The Era That Gave Birth to the Tale, and a Portrait of Its Talented Author

The “Other Court” That Created Literature: Murasaki Shikibu’s Life and Inner World

The timeless masterpiece, The Tale of Genji, wasn’t born from a moment of genius; it was a necessary creation that stemmed from the author Murasaki Shikibu’s personal life and inner struggles.
She was born into a collateral line of the powerful Fujiwara clan during the mid-Heian period.
Her family valued scholarship, and her father, Fujiwara no Tametoki, was a renowned scholar.
Thanks to this environment, Murasaki Shikibu was able to immerse herself in learning from an early age.

In her time, classical Chinese literature (known as kanbun) was primarily studied by men, and it was rare for women to possess such knowledge.
However, Murasaki Shikibu listened to her brother’s lessons and taught herself to read Chinese classics, so much so that her father lamented, “What a pity she was not born a man.”
This extraordinary command of Chinese literature formed the foundation of her literary genius, and its influence is evident throughout The Tale of Genji.
For instance, the opening chapter, “Kiritsubo,” masterfully incorporates themes from the Chinese poem Song of Everlasting Regret by Bai Juyi.
Later, during the protagonist Genji’s exile in Suma, she enriches his profound state of mind and the scene’s imagery by alluding to the story of the Chinese poet Qu Yuan.
This unique blend of Japanese sensitivity and sophisticated knowledge of classical Chinese writing is characteristic of Murasaki Shikibu’s style.

At the same time, Murasaki Shikibu is said to have been introverted and not fond of social gatherings.
She found the glamorous life at court unsuited to her personality and often felt lonely.
Serving as a lady-in-waiting, or nyobo, at court was not always an honor; for a woman who had lived a secluded life, it could be seen as a form of “shame” to be exposed to the public eye.
Murasaki Shikibu’s own diary suggests that she often struggled to fit into court life and preferred to spend time alone.

This disconnect between her “unfulfilled self” and the “glamorous world outside” is believed to be the fundamental motivation that drove her to write.
For her, The Tale of Genji was not just a story; it was a “place” where she could project her keen observations and deep inner world, a quiet “voice” to society.
She began writing the work after the death of her husband, Fujiwara no Nobutaka.
The story’s reputation eventually reached the highest power of the time, Fujiwara no Michinaga, which led her to serve his daughter, Empress Shoshi, as a lady-in-waiting.
The Tale of Genji is a crystallization of her emotions and thoughts, spun in the solitude she sought as an escape from the court’s glittering social scene.

A Capital of Splendor and Intrigue: The Behind-the-Scenes of Heian Aristocratic Society

The mid-Heian period in which Murasaki Shikibu lived was not just a time of elegant court culture; it was also an era of power and intrigue.
This was the zenith of the regency government (Sekkan Seiji), where the Fujiwara clan held immense power by controlling the emperors as their maternal relatives.
The Tale of Genji offers an incredibly realistic portrayal of this aristocratic society centered around the emperor.

At its core, the novel depicts the journey of the protagonist, Genji, who, despite his brilliant lineage, is forced to renounce his imperial status and is given the surname “Genji” (Minamoto).
His rise to the pinnacle of power through his exceptional talent can be read as a symbolic “rags-to-riches story” that reflects the political dynamics and fierce competition for promotion within the aristocratic society of the time.
Beyond romance, the story meticulously details political struggles and the life choices of those caught in their web.

In that society, love and marriage were deeply intertwined with political strategy between families.
Women were generally in a passive position, yet the women depicted in the tale have strong personalities and wills, striving to express themselves despite their restricted circumstances.
The Fujiwara clan’s practice of marrying their daughters into the imperial family to secure power through their offspring is a backdrop that profoundly influences the fates of the characters.

The Heian period was a time of developing a distinctly Japanese aesthetic, known as Kokufu Bunka (National Culture), even while still heavily influenced by Chinese culture.
The hiragana script flourished, and literary genres like tales and poetry thrived.
The Tale of Genji became a unique literary work by fusing the deep knowledge of classical Chinese with the delicate emotional expression of hiragana.
For instance, the scene where Genji, in his sadness, compares himself to the exiled Chinese poet Qu Yuan is a sophisticated technique that not only delves deep into the character’s inner world but also assumes a shared knowledge of Chinese classics among the aristocratic class.
Although considered a masterpiece of Japanese culture, it is built on a foundation of profound influence from the Asian mainland and the author’s intelligence in manipulating it.

A Story of Light and Shadow: Character Relationships and Plot Summary

The Complex Weave of Main Characters and Their Relationships

The Tale of Genji is a sprawling epic that spans 54 chapters, and its character relationships are incredibly intricate.
The tangled web of family ties is crucial to understanding the novel’s central theme of karma or cause and effect (inga oho).
Here is a summary of the main characters’ social positions and their key relationships.

Character	Social Position and Key Relationships
Hikaru Genji	The protagonist, son of Emperor Kiritsubo and Lady Kiritsubo. He is given the surname “Minamoto” and leaves the imperial family. He has a secret affair with Lady Fujitsubo, with whom he fathers the future Emperor Reizei. Lady Aoi, Lady Murasaki, and the Third Princess are his main wives.
Emperor Kiritsubo	Genji’s father. He deeply cherishes Lady Kiritsubo and, after her death, brings Lady Fujitsubo into the court because she closely resembles his late consort.
Lady Fujitsubo	The Empress of Emperor Kiritsubo and Genji’s stepmother. Because she is the spitting image of Genji’s late mother, she becomes his first love. She secretly fathers Emperor Reizei with Genji.
Lady Aoi	Daughter of the Minister of the Left and Genji’s first formal wife. Stiff-mannered and unable to be open, she has a cold relationship with Genji. She is killed by the vengeful spirit (ikiryo) of Lady Rokujo.
Lady Murasaki	Lady Fujitsubo’s niece. Discovered by Genji, she is raised to be his ideal woman. She is the most beloved woman who supported his life as his main wife.
Lady Rokujo	One of Genji’s lovers. A proud woman, she suffers from the jealousy caused by Genji’s unfaithfulness. Her vengeful spirit torments and kills Lady Aoi and Lady Yugao.
Tō no Chūjō	Genji’s best friend and rival. He is the brother of Lady Aoi, Genji’s first wife. He fathers Lady Tamakazura with Lady Yugao.
Emperor Reizei	Ostensibly the son of Emperor Kiritsubo, he is secretly the son of Genji and Lady Fujitsubo. He discovers his birth secret later in the story.
Kaoru	The protagonist of Part 3 of The Tale of Genji. Ostensibly the son of Genji and the Third Princess, he is actually the illegitimate son of Kashiwagi and the Third Princess. He is born with a natural, pleasant scent.
Nioumiya	Genji’s grandson, the other protagonist of Part 3. He is charming but has a frivolous personality.
Ukifune	The daughter of Prince Hachi of Uji, a woman torn between Kaoru and Nioumiya in a love triangle. She resembles Lady Oigimi.

As this chart shows, the relationships in the story are a complex web.
The tangled father-son relationships over three generations – Genji, Emperor Reizei, and Kaoru – serve not as a simple family story but as a device to weave the Buddhist theme of cause and effect throughout the entire narrative.

Glorious Splendor and Inevitable Decline: Tracing the Story’s Three-Part Structure

The Tale of Genji is divided into three parts that trace Genji’s life and the stories of his descendants.

Part 1: The Shining Prince (Chapters 1 “Kiritsubo” to 33 “Fujinouraba”)

The story begins with the birth of a prince, Hikaru Genji, to Emperor Kiritsubo and his low-ranking consort, Lady Kiritsubo.
Genji, who loses his mother at an early age, falls in love with his stepmother, Lady Fujitsubo, who is the spitting image of his deceased mother.
This forbidden love eventually leads to a secret affair, and a son, the future Emperor Reizei, is born from their union, though his birth secret is never revealed.
Genji, while struggling in his relationship with his formal wife, Lady Aoi, engages in love affairs with many other women, including Lady Murasaki, Lady Rokujo, and Lady Yugao.

However, his political standing is jeopardized when his relationship with Lady Oborozukiyo, the daughter of his political rival, is exposed.
This leads him to a period of exile from the capital in Suma and Akashi.
During his time away, he meets Lady Akashi and fathers a daughter with her.
When Emperor Reizei ascends to the throne, Genji is pardoned and returns to the capital, where he reclaims his political power and achieves a level of splendor comparable to a former emperor.
He builds a grand estate, the Rokujo-in, where he brings together his beloved women, including Lady Murasaki, and lives a life of magnificence.

Part 2: The Troubled Prince (Chapters 34 “Wakana” to 41 “Maboroshi”)

Genji’s glory is not eternal.
In Part 2, a shadow begins to fall over his life.
Genji takes the Third Princess, his brother Emperor Suzaku’s daughter, as his new formal wife.
However, she has a secret affair with Kashiwagi, a friend of Genji’s son Yugiri, and becomes pregnant.
Just as Genji once fathered a child in secret with Lady Fujitsubo, he now faces a similar situation where his own wife bears an illegitimate child.
This turn of events, which can be seen as a form of karma, causes him deep suffering in his later years.
Furthermore, after the death of his most beloved woman, Lady Murasaki, Genji feels the fleetingness of life and resolves to become a monk.
The story ends without directly depicting his death, concluding instead with a blank chapter titled “The Disappearance into the Clouds” (“Kumogakure”).

Part 3: The World Without Light (Chapters 42 “Nioumiya” to 54 “Yume no Ukihashi”)

With Genji gone, the protagonists of the story shift to two young noblemen: Kaoru and Nioumiya.
This section, known as the Ten Chapters of Uji (Uji Jūjō), stands in stark contrast to the brilliant world of Genji’s capital.
It focuses on the love triangle between Kaoru, who is drawn to the Buddhist path but struggles with love, and the flashy yet frivolous Nioumiya.
The two become involved with the princesses of Prince Hachi, who lives a secluded life in the mountain village of Uji.
Ultimately, they become entangled in a love triangle over their half-sister Ukifune, who looks exactly like the late Lady Oigimi.
Unable to bear her suffering, Ukifune attempts suicide by drowning.
A monk rescues her, and she, having grown weary of the world, decides to become a nun.
The story concludes with Ukifune cutting ties with the secular world.

This three-part structure is more than just a chronological list of romantic entanglements.
The sin Genji commits in Part 1 – his secret affair with Lady Fujitsubo – is repeated in Part 2 with the relationship between the Third Princess and Kashiwagi.
This visually presents the Buddhist concept of cause and effect that permeates the entire narrative.
Furthermore, the shift in protagonists from Genji to the troubled Kaoru in Part 3 shows that even a “Shining Prince” cannot escape the reality that his light is not eternal, a reflection of the truth of impermanence (mujō).
Through Genji’s rise and fall, and the struggles of his descendants, the novel profoundly depicts the fleetingness of the world, the flow of fate, and the unpredictability of life.

The “Voice of the Heart” That Echoes Through Time: Lessons from The Tale of Genji for the Modern Age

The Beauty Within Transience: The Heart That Understands Mono no Aware

The essence of The Tale of Genji is said to lie in the concept of mono no aware, a term coined by the Edo-period scholar Motoori Norinaga.
In modern Japanese, the word aware is often used in the limited sense of “pity,” but its original meaning refers to the profound emotional response to things – the subtle stirrings of joy, sorrow, or surprise.
It’s a feeling that strikes the soul from a shift in nature or a particular event, a sense that goes beyond words.

Mono no aware is woven throughout The Tale of Genji.
A prime example is the fleeting love between Genji and Lady Yugao.
Her existence, like the transient white evening glory flower after which she is named, is a symbol of transience.
The figure of Lady Rokujo, who, tormented by her intense jealousy of Genji’s new lovers, becomes a vengeful spirit (ikiryō) and harms her rivals, shows the profound depths of the human heart and its darkness.
We also feel this mono no aware when Genji, in exile in Suma and Akashi, is filled with sadness, reminiscing about the capital as he listens to the sound of the moon and the wind rustling through the pines.

We who live in the modern age have not lost this feeling.
The sentiment expressed by the Japanese term “emoi” (emo) is very close to mono no aware.
The sight of cherry blossoms scattering after just a few days, or the momentary beauty of a sunset – these evoke a sense of fleeting beauty and poignancy that moves us. Heian nobles would share their emotions and find solace through poetry and stories.
Today, we share photos and short messages on social media to convey our feelings.
This act is fundamentally the same as when Heian aristocrats exchanged poems to share their emotions.
The human essence – to be moved by moments of beauty and transience and to enrich one’s inner life by sharing those feelings with others – remains unchanged after a thousand years.

The Echo of Impermanence: Wisdom for Navigating a Changing World

Impermanence (mujō) is a core Buddhist concept that everything is in a constant state of flux and nothing lasts forever.
The Tale of Genji echoes this truth throughout its narrative.
Just when Genji reaches the pinnacle of power and glory, his exile and later-life struggles show that his light will not last forever.
This resonates with the Buddhist principle of “all things prosper and then decline,” a central theme of another Japanese classic, The Tale of the Heike.
It teaches us that no matter how powerful someone is, their glory is as fleeting as a spring night’s dream.

Modern people tend to seek a state of “near-permanence” through scientific advancement.
Yet, every time we face the unexpected – pandemics, natural disasters, economic upheaval, or the changes brought by AI – we are forced to confront the transient nature of life.
While modern romance often idealizes “eternal love,” love in The Tale of Genji is consistently depicted as a fluid and ever-changing force.
This difference highlights modern people’s obsession with “forever” and the suffering that comes when that ideal cannot be met.

While Western culture, symbolized by the mummy, has often sought to conquer death and permanence, Japan’s history of frequent natural disasters has fostered an awareness that things are not eternal.
However, this does not lead to resignation or nihilism.
Instead, it creates a positive mindset: “Precisely because everything is impermanent, we must live and cherish this very moment.”
As an interview in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun noted, a brighter interpretation is also possible: “Because things are transient, don’t get too down; tomorrow will be different.”
While The Tale of Genji portrays status, honor, and glory as fleeting, it also teaches us the importance of finding meaning in human relationships and harmony with nature in each moment.
This is a universal lesson that can support us as we navigate our rapidly changing world.

Conclusion: A Question Posed Across a Thousand Years

Even after a thousand years, The Tale of Genji still holds the power to deeply move us.
This is because it is not merely a classic but a profound exploration of universal human emotions: love and loneliness, joy and sorrow, and the questions of life and death.
The characters’ worries and inner conflicts mirror our own.

To read and understand this story is not just to learn about the elegant aesthetics and complex values of the Heian period.
It is also a journey to find answers to the most fundamental questions: How should we live in an ever-changing world?
And how can we find richness in our hearts?
Please lend an ear to the voice of The Tale of Genji, which speaks to us across a thousand years.