Genji is now in his early 30's, and hardship has made him a better man. His return from exile receives mixed reactions, many are still suspicious of him while others welcome him. What makes this section of the novel stand out is that, for the first time, Genji must deal with his children.
His young daughter has inherited all of her parents' beauty and grace; Genji fears for her future if she is left in her provincial home, untrained in the ways of the court. He convinces her family to let her accompany him to his new home where he has built a wing to provide comfortable lives for those in his charge, mainly a small group of women he has courted. They agree.
I'm not confident that I've followed the course of his son's life correctly but as I see it, Genji's son by the former emperor's consort, who is now emperor, has learned the truth of his parentage. He is keeping this knowledge a secret for now, though he feels scandalized by his father's, Genji's, inappropriate behavior. I do not think he knows that Genji is the former emperor's son at this point, which makes him the former emperor's grandson rather than son. When you have a love life as complicated and as varied as Genji does, the children are going to become a problem one way or another.
Reading the Tale of Genji is an education. By the end of the book I expect to have a thorough understanding of life in the Heian-kyo court of medieval Japan. I thought it might be fun, maybe even useful, for those following the read-a-long to talk about a few things I've learned. Above is a very short video featuring a performance on a Yamato-koto or Japanese zither. It is believed to be one of the few instruments to originate in Japan instead of coming over from mainland Asia.
This is a godchild doll, amagatsu, one of two protective devices a girl-child received at birth. She was supposed to transfer all evil influence that came her way to the doll. During her third year she gave up the doll. Girls also received a dagger, mibakshi, at birth as a protective talisman.
A common pastime during winter, one Genji indulges in during this section, was to have the servants roll large snowballs. As far as I can tell, the aristocracy themselves did no rolling. Instead, they enjoyed the spectacle of their servants. There is a passage in The Pillow Book that describes making a giant snow mountain and the betting that went on afterwards regarding how long it would take to melt. Good times.
2 comments:
I would love to give something like this a go as it sounds truly epic and I could imagine feeling very accomplished after reading it, however I do feel have already bitten off more than I can chew with Ulysses!
So are you halfway through, or more? What a huge commitment. It's great to follow along with you though. I think a godchild doll might come in handy!
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