Murasaki the tale of genji5/21/2023 ![]() ![]() Genji has to conceal the paternity of one of his sons, because the boy is the product of Genji’s affair with one of his father’s consorts. Although he amasses great influence, he never ascends the throne to the pinnacle of power. From the time Genji is barely a teenager, he cavorts across the region now known as Kyoto, hopping from one woman to another as he breezes through affairs and takes on multiple wives. The narrative is structured around the life of Genji, who is the son of an emperor and his favorite consort. The more I read, the more this ancient work made me think about how gender and power dynamics have echoed across the centuries in Japan. Instead, I found common ground not only with my personal experience but with my reporting over six years as a correspondent in Japan. After all, the book is set among the courtly elites of the classical Heian period of the 11th century, with their mysterious rituals, monarchal codes and allusive poetry. ![]() I expected to feel distance from the medieval text. When I first opened its pages, I was reading for edification. It has been subjected to countless translations, interpretations and adaptations across seemingly every possible art form: paintings, Noh plays, dance, film, television drama, manga, anime, even a rom-com. Passages are taught to most schoolchildren. In Japan, “The Tale of Genji” has maintained an unwavering grip on the culture. ![]()
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