They are joinedīy a guards officer and other friends. His brother-in-law To-no-Chujo meet at Genji's palace and compare notes about women. The first part of this chapter is the famous 'Appraisal of Women on a Rainy Night' scene. Is married off to the daughter of the Minister of the Left, Princess Aoi. Instead made a member of the non-royal Genji clan, henceforth being known as 'Genji.' The emperor'sĮldest son by Lady Kokiden is made crown prince and the emperor subsequently finds a new concubine,įujitsubo, who resembles Kiritsubo but has better family connections. Korean ambassadors arrive in the capital and predict a brilliant future for theĪlthough of royal blood, the boy has no maternal relatives to support him as a prince at court and is Eventually he returns to the palace and the grandmother dies shortlyĪfterwards. The emperor is distraught and asksįor the boy to be sent back. Kiritsuboįalls ill and dies, so the child is taken in by his grandmother. Worse as he may one day be a rival to the future crown prince, the emperor's eldest son. She bears the emperor a beautiful son, which makes matters The emperor's favourite lady, Kiritsubo, has no strong family backing at court and suffers greatlyįrom the insults of jealous competitors. Synopsis of Chapters 1-5 Chapter 1: The Paulownia Court

See the list of principal characters and background to the Tale of Genji. Uji River, scene of the last ten chapters of The Tale. To a son and soon after becomes a Buddhist nun. Genji is persuaded to marry the Third Princess, who gives birth Preoccupied with the advancement of his children and grandchildren atĬourt. Tale, Genji's influence at court increases steadily and he is His return to the capital he settles down with Murasaki and several

Thanks to the deity for protecting him during the storm at Suma. Pilgrimage to the Sumiyoshi Shrine to give Restored and the Akashi Lady has a baby girl. Genji returns to the capital and the emperor abdicates in favour ofįujitsubo's (and secretly Genji's) son. Of Harima and his daughter The Akashi Lady. During this second part of the Tale, Genji meets the ex-Governor Leave the capital and live in Suma for several Genji's amorous intrigues cause a scandal at court and he is forced to Meanwhile, the old emperor dies and is succeeded by Lady Kokiden's son. Heian-kyo, his friendship with To no Chujo and arranged marriage to To noĬhujo's sister Aoi, the birth of his son and his budding relationship with The first part of the Taleįollows his amorous exploits with a variety of ladies in and around Genji becomes an uncommonly handsome and gifted young man, admired by allīut feared by Lady Kokiden and her family. The emperor and Lady Kokiden is made crown prince. Since Genji lacks backing at court, the emperor makes him a commoner,Īssigning him membership of the non-royal Genji clan. The distraught emperor becomes obsessed with the tragic story of Yang Kwei-fei, but eventually finds anotherĬoncubine, Fujitsubo, who reminds him of his former love. A Korean sage predicts a brilliant future for Genjiīut his mother suffers the jealousy of rivals at court, becomes ill andĭies. Genji, the hero of the Tale, is the son of the emperor and his favouriteĬoncubine, Kiritsubo.

1 media/7 Pop.jpg media/7 Pop.Niou serenades Nakanokimi (detail from the 12th century Genji Monogatari Emaki scroll).

Tracing the lives of the fictional prince Genji and his descendants, the Tale's 54 chapters include more than 400 characters whose narratives intersect amid the political intrigues and romantic entanglements of the Heian imperial court (794-1185). 973-1031), The Tale of Genji is a massive and extraordinarily complex work. The Tale of Genji from Princesses to Pop Main Menu The Tale of Genji from Princesses to Pop Curators Exhibition Checklist Exhibition Materials The Genji Narrative 1 T17:02:47+00:00 Nathanael Roesch e2b52a0fe25f47457902361b2112b14c75ecc6aa 2 2 plain T17:16:16+00:00 Nathanael Roesch e2b52a0fe25f47457902361b2112b14c75ecc6aa Written more than a thousand years ago by court poet and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu (ca. Please enable Javascript and reload the page. This site requires Javascript to be turned on.

Genji chapter 2 meta narrative