List of The Tale of Genji characters

The Third Princess, a character from the The Tale of Genji (ukiyo-e by Suzuki Harunobu, ca. 1766)

The characters of The Tale of Genji do not possess birth names. Instead they are assigned sobriquets derived from poetic exchanges (ex. Murasaki takes her name from a poem by Genji), from the particular court positions they occupy (in the Tyler translation, characters are often referred to by such terms as His Highness of War, Her Majesty the Empress, His Grace, the Palace Minister and so on), from their geographical location (ex. Lady Akashi who lived on the Akashi coast before meeting Genji), or from the name of their residence (ex. Lady Rokujō, whose mansion is on the Sixth Avenue, rokujō, or Fujitsubo, literally wisteria pavilion, the part of the Imperial Palace where this particular lady resided). Out of the two most recent translations into English, Seidensticker’s tends to systematically employ the same names (ex. Genji, Murasaki, Akashi, Utsusemi, etc.), whereas Tyler’s, more textually accurate translation, tends to change sometimes characters’ appellation with every chapter.

Similarly, many women writers of the Heian period left behind their sobriquets alone. Murasaki Shikibu is no exception: “Murasaki” is presumably borrowed from her character in the tale, whereas “Shikibu” refers to a court position in the Bureau of Ceremonial (shikibu), that her father used to occupy.

Notes

Following Genji, all the other characters are introduced following the chronology of the events in the tale. However, this chronology does not take into account the first time a character is mentioned, but rather the time a character actually makes his or her debut into the tale. Some of the character descriptions below include a reference to the chapter in which the character is introduced to the narrative. Important characters are in capital letters.

Characters

A lady of lower rank, after the death of her father she has no choice but to become the second wife of the Iyo Deputy, whose first wife is dead at the time of the narrative (Chapter 2 “Hahakigi”). She accidentally attracts Genji’s attention during one of his visits to the Governor of Kii’s mansion. Forced to avoid a directional taboo, young Genji leaves his father-in-law’s mansion at Sanjō and takes refuge to his retainer’s house. Ritual purification also forced the women of the Iyo Deputy’s household, Utsusemi included, to temporarily reside in the same place.
Having heard some feminine voices and the movements in an adjacent room, Genji becomes interested in the Governor’s step-mother, whom he already knew was young and potentially attractive. That very same night, Genji steals into the women’s quarters and under the guise of being a lady-in-waiting (Utsusemi is calling for Chūjō, which is both the sobriquet of her servant and Genji’s current rank of captain), he slips next to Utsusemi. Once the lady realizes who he really is, she is terrified and would like to call for help, were it not for her awareness that such a discovery would only bring her shame. Even so, she still rejects his advances and keeps strong despite his seductive words, until Genji, at a loss, can only think of taking her away to a more private location. As he carries her out of the room, he encounters the real Chūjō who is more than ready to defend her mistress against this unknown intruder until she too realizes who he is. Genji’s rank and status is simply too high for the two women to dare raise a commotion.
Once Genji secures Utsusemi’s location, he continues to pour out sweet words and promises, yet the lady “was as (...) the young bamboo: she bend but was not to be broken.”[6] Despite the textual description, many Genji critics read the incident as Genji’s success despite the lady’s resistance. Their interpretation lies heavily on one verb in the original, miru, which, although has multiple meanings, also refers to “making love, carnally knowing someone.” Because of this one meaning among many, the traditional interpretation of the scene was that Genji does manage to break through Utsusemi’s defenses and ends up sleeping with her. Other critics however, most prominently Margaret Childs,[7] prefer to reject this interpretation as unfounded.
After the incident in question, Genji tries to see the lady two more times. The first time, she finds out about his arrival and takes refuge into another wing of the house, where she surrounds herself with her ladies-in-waiting. Frustrated, Genji ends up taking her younger brother to bed, as her replacement. This episode is considered the sole explicit example of homosexual relations in the tale.
The second time, Genji manages to get close to her and he even gets to spy on her playing go with her step-daughter, Nokiba no ogi. This kaimami (man spying on one or multiple women through a gap in the fence/ curtain/ screen) became a favorite screen among Genji artists and has been often illustrated as representation for chapter 3 “Utsusemi.”
After having spied on her, Genji, with the complicity of Utsusemi’s younger brother, Kogimi, steals into her chamber again. Aware of his presence, Utsusemi manages to escape from Genji’s embrace by discarding her outer robe like a cicada discards its shell (hence the chapter title). In her desire to escape him, the lady also abandons behind her sleeping step-daughter, who becomes Genji’s unwitting prey. Unwilling to admit defeat, or rather to sleep alone for the night, Genji makes do with what is left behind and ends sleeping with Nokiba no ogi, who does not even imagine she has been the victim of mistaken identity.
At the end of the fourth chapter, "Yugao", Utsusemi leaves the capital with her husband who has been appointed governor of a province. Nokiba no ogi also gets married and leaves the narrative. Utsusemi returns in chapter sixteen, “Sekiya,” when she meets Genji on her return from the provinces. They exchange poems, and Utsusemi is shown to regret not being able to accept Genji’s advances (because of Utsusemi's marriage and differences in rank).
Last time the readers encounter Utsusemi is in chapter twenty-three, “Hatsune,” where they learn that she has become a nun after her husband’s death. The reason behind her decision is her desire to escape the unwelcome amorous attentions of her step-son, the Governor of Kii. After taking the tonsure, Utsusemi comes to depend upon Genji and takes residence in his former home (his home before the building of the Rokujō-in), Nijō-in.

Part II

Part III

References

  1. ↑ Ivan Morris, The World of the Shining Prince, 1994, 285.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Norma Field, The Splendor of Longing in The Tale of Genji, 1987.
  3. ↑ Tyler, Royall and Susan. “The Possession of Ukifune.” Asiatica Venetiana, 5 (2002): 177–209.
  4. ↑ Royall Tyler tends to interpret spirit possession at face value, at least in the case of another female character, Ukifune. Tyler, Royall and Susan. “The Possession of Ukifune.” Asiatica Venetiana, 5 (2002): 177–209.
  5. 1 2 Doris Bargen, A Woman’s Weapon: Spirit Possession in The Tale of Genji, Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1997.
  6. ↑ Seidensticker, The Tale of Genji, 1993, 43.
  7. ↑ Childs, Margaret H. “The Value of Vulnerability: Sexual Coercion and the Nature of Love in Japanese Court Literature.” The Journal of Asian Studies, 58, no. 4 (1999): 1059–1079.
  8. 1 2 Komashaku Kimi, Murasaki Shikibu no messēji (Tōkyō: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1991).
  9. ↑ Royall Tyler, “I am I”: Genji and Murasaki,” Monumenta Nipponica 54, no4 (1999).
  10. ↑ Royall Tyler, trans., The Tale of Genji, p. 91.
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