![]() But she is confused by her feelings for him and for the high-spirited and charming Niou, who in so many ways resembles Genji. Kaoru, sensitive, retiring, obsessed by the mystery of his paternity, would sacrifice his high position for Ukifune. This portion of the novel, called the "Uji Chapters" because much of the action takes place at the small village of Uji, depicts the confrontation of Kaoru and Niou for the affections of the girl Ukifune. Both have aspects of Genji's personality but cannot take his place. Soon, Genji too passes from the Realm of Maya, and the center of attention is turned to his descendants, Kaoru, his supposed son, and Niou, his grandson. Murasaki, his favorite wife, dies childless, leaving Genji in a world of memories. But excess of passion takes its toll, and Genji suffers emotional agony because of unhappiness in love. He builds his sumptuous villa in the capital and installs his several wives in their apartments with Murasaki in the place of honor. An encounter with the girl Murasaki Ue had led Genji to undertake her education so that she could be molded into the perfect wife. But this ill luck is of short duration, and Genji is pardoned, is recalled to the capital, and regains his prominence. Genji, as a result of his numerous love affairs, incurs the jealousy and wrath of powerful rivals who bring about his disgrace and exile. The character of Genji may be based in part on the personality of Fujiwara Korechika (975-1010), a nephew of Fujiwara Michinaga (966-1027), a great statesman and distant relative of Lady Murasaki. By virtue of his exuberant personality Genji becomes supremely popular at court, indulges in a series of amorous encounters, and wins the admiration of his peers when he dances the "Waves of the Blue Sea." Her early death overshadows Genji's youth. The hero, Hikaru Genji, the Shining One, pursues love and happiness impelled always by the haunting image of his dead mother, Kiritsubo, the consort of an emperor. ![]() The action, covering the better part of a century, with over 400 characters and four generations, is meticulously and consistently elaborated by Murasaki. Divided into 54 books or episodes, the novel is twice as long as War and Peace. ![]() The size and scope of The Tale of Genji are enormous. Murasaki may have begun her novel about 1003 and continued writing it, with interruptions, until her death, at which time it might or might not have been finished. Murasaki's knowledge of the great world is amply exhibited in The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari) as well as in her Diary, and it may be assumed that she chronicled something resembling her own life, however idealized. Murasaki is thought to have died about 1031. Little or nothing of Murasaki's life is positively known from the time she entered the service of Empress Akiko. At this time Murasaki's father was appointed governor of the province of Echigo in 1016 he retired from the world to take holy orders. At the death of Emperor Ichijo in 1011, the Empress, with her suite of ladies, went into retirement. Murasaki's diary, begun in 1008 and continued for 2 years thereafter, recounts her ![]() Arrangements were made for Murasaki to enter the service of Akiko, the young consort of Emperor Ichijo, as lady-in-waiting. In 1004 Murasaki's father was appointed governor of the province of Echizen, 80 miles from the capital, a great distance in the 11th century. After her husband's death, Murasaki lived in retirement for some years. Murasaki was married at about the age of 20, but her husband died soon after, in 1001, leaving her with a daughter. Presumably Murasaki was educated in the usual Chinese and Buddhist classics as well as in Japanese literature, though this kind of learning was not stressed for young women in those days. She was so quick to learn that her father regretted that she was not a boy. Murasaki records in her diary her lessons in Chinese with her brother. Her father, Fujiwara Tamatoki, an official and poet, was at one time a provincial governor his grandfather was a poet. Murasaki was born into a lesser but distinguished and cultured branch of this family in the last quarter of the 10th century. The name Murasaki, literally "Violet," could refer to one of the heroines of The Tale of Genji or to the first element of her maiden name, Fujiwara, one of the greatest names in Japanese history. Shikibu, a title, may refer to her father, who served in the Ministry of Ceremonial, or of Rites (Shikibu Shō). The exact dates of the life of Lady Murasaki are not known, nor is her name.
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