Apollo,Lou Vernadel G.

The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is Murasaki Shikibu’s eleventh-century masterpiece, of all her
works; this became the most revered having even been generally considered as the world’s first novel.
The author gave us a fascinating glimpse of the Heian era of Japan based on her first hand experiences
being a member of an empress’s entourage during that time. She gave us a window of the workings of
the law court and concurrently weaved stories of myriad love affairs. (Goff 1991)

Lady Murasaki was born in about 978 in Kyoto, Japan. She’s known as a Japanese poet, novelist and a
maid of honor of the imperial court. Her real name is unknown. It is thought that she was called Murasaki
after the heroine in her novel. However, some scholars are speculating that her given name might have
been Fujiwara Takako. The name was recorded as lady-in-waiting ranked shoji on the 29th day of the 1st
month, Kanko 4. Mido Kampaku Ki said that it was written in the memoir of Fujiwara no Michinaga but
many do not support the theory. In her own memoir, The Murasaki Shikibu Diary, it was stated she was
nicknamed Murasaki after the character in the narrative, whereas the name Shikibu refers to her father’s
position in the Bureau of Ceremony. After the death of Lady Murasaki’s husband, she considered devoting
her life to spiritual service, but then became a courtier to the empress Joto Mon’in. She pleased the court
with her beautiful verses, as is clear from the diary she kept from 1007 to 1010, the foremost basis of
information about her life. The Tale of Genji was written sometime between 1001 and 1010. The novel
demonstrates her compassion to human emotions, her love of nature, and her knowledge in various
subjects. She died in Kyoto in about 1014.

The Tale of Genji , This book was published somewhere around the year one thousand eleven. It was
created for the purpose of entertainment for the upper class women of aristocracy. It consists of 54
chapters with events that are unparalleled to the Heian era that extended from 794 AD to 1191, between
the Nara and Kamakura eras. It was a relatively long period of peace and political strength lasting nearly
400 years, until 1185. The Fujiwara family, to which the author is a member of its northern branch, is
one of the most influential clans then. Their clan members married emperors that resulted to their clan
dominating the royal family. When they get to the throne, they rule in behalf of the offspring of these
unions. Furthermore, besides that they had control of the politics, they also dominated the cultural
atmosphere of this era. Fujiwara courtiers encouraged a characteristic of chivalrous sophistication and
sensitivity in all of their activities, involving the religious practices, and the visual and literary arts. This
refined sensibility and interest in the arts is clearly expressed in the Tale of Genji.

The society portrayed in the story is one of a privileged cluster of nobles that would be around 5,000 in
number. The emperor is seen at the center of the world and the people are not interested in anything but
leisure. Given that they were preoccupied with their upbringing and level in society, they were deeply
sensitive to nature’s beauty, the art of poetry, music, calligraphy and fine clothing. Heian courtiers didn’t
know much about the outside world and didn’t bother. They also didn’t like travelling and the common
people were very looked down on. (Emmot, Background of The Tale of Genji 2010)
This book consists of 54 chapters. And it plays a big role in the world’s realm of literature. It is considered
as one of the finest books of Japanese literature, past and even till the present times. (The Tale of Genji
– Introduction 2001)

In some manuscripts, one additional chapter may be found in between chapters 41 and 42. This chapter
is named Kumogakure, or “Vanished into the Clouds”. This chapter is left blank where only a title appears
which elucidates Genji’s death. (Chiappa 2011)

The story is conventionally divided into three parts: the life of Genji found on the first two segments, and
the early years of Niou and Kaoru, the two prominent descendants of Genji.