53
• 4th or 5th month: Ukifune is exorcised and recovers her senses.
• Autumn: a Captain, once married to the daughter of the Prelate's sister (now a nun), visits Ono and glimpses Ukifune. He pursues her, but she avoids him.
• 9th month: Ukifune becomes a nun.
• The Prelate of Yokawa tells the Empress about Ukifune.
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• Kaoru observes the first anniversary of Ukifune's supposed death.
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• Kaoru visits the Empress, who lets him know that Ukifune is alive. He then visits Yokawa, where the Prelate tells him about Ukifune.
• Kaoru seeks to meet Ukifune and sends her a note. He returns to the City but the next day sends her young half brother as his messenger to her. Ukifune refuses to meet her half brother and refuses to answer Kaoru's note. The boy returns to Kaoru empty-handed. Kaoru grieves.
General Glossary
academic style azana—A two-character, Chinese-style name conferred on a degree candidate at the Academy.
Academy Daigaku—An institution to train sons of the aristocracy, especially those below the highest level, in the fields of Chinese-based knowledge required for a career as an official. Staffed by Doctors and more junior scholars, it came under the Bureau of Ceremonial. It accepted any boy between his thirteenth and sixteenth years whose father held the fifth rank or above, as well as selected boys from an eighth-rank background.
“Ah, Wondrous Day!” “Anatōto”—A congratulatory saibara song summed up by its first line and with little narrative content.
aisle hisashi—The space in a house that surrounded the chamber (moya), between the chamber and the veranda (sunoko). It was normally divided into sections, or rooms. The aisle was lower than the chamber by the depth of the lintel (nageshi). Exceptionally, there could be a second aisle width beyond the first, again a lintel-depth lower.
aloeswood jin—A wood prized for incense and also for making various small items of furniture.
Amida—The Buddha of infinite light, who presides over a paradise located immeasurably far away toward the west. According to his great vow, all who call his name (in the formula “Namu Amida Butsu,” known as the Nenbutsu) will achieve rebirth into this paradise, and this invocation was therefore the single most common Buddhist practice in the author's time. Usually voiced, it was recited silently for a funeral.
anteroom on yasumi dokoro—A south-facing room attached to the privy chamber.
appointments list jimoku, tsukasameshi—The appointments and promotions announced twice a year, in spring and autumn. The Minister of the Left presided over the event.
arched bridge soribashi—A bridge over a garden stream.
armrest kyōsoku—A common item of furniture, to lean on when seated on the floor.
Assembly of the Holy Names Butsumyō-e—A religious event held for three days in the palace and in other aristocratic houses, starting on the nineteenth day of the twelfth month. The ceremony involved invoking the names of the Buddhas of past, present, and future, in a spirit of repentance and atonement.
Atago, Mount—A sacred mountain (3,049 feet) just northwest of Kyoto.
“At Kawaguchi” “Kawaguchi no”—A saibara song in the voice of a girl who boasts of having escaped through “the rough fence of the Kawaguchi Barrier,” despite her father's watchful eye, to lie with her lover.
“Autumn Wind” “Shūfūraku”—A “Chinese” bugaku piece that dates in its present form from the reign of Emperor Saga (reigned 809–23).
Azuma—“The East”: roughly, the modern Kanto region in which Tokyo is situated. It was then seen as remote and uncouth.
azuma mode—A musical mode associated with eastern Japan and with the wagon. Its character is unknown.
backgammon sugoroku—A board game related to backgammon and popular in the world of the tale.
banshiki mode—A musical mode particularly suitable for winter.
bark shingles hiwada—Slats of cypress (hinoki) bark used, many layers deep, for roofing.
basketwork carriage ajiro guruma—A carriage whose cabin was woven from strips of cypress (hinoki) and bamboo. Adequate for formal use by a privy gentleman, it was informal for a senior noble.
basketwork screen ajiro byōbu—A screen made of woven slats of cypress (hinoki) or cryptomeria (sugi) wood.
baton shaku—A flat length of wood about a foot long, slightly tapering and with rounded ends, that a court official held vertically before him when in formal posture.
bay ma—The unit of length between two structural pillars. Most houses were five bays long: three for the chamber (moya) and two (one on each side) for the aisle (hisashi).
beardgrass karukaya—A type of tall grass with long awns, distantly related to rice.
beaten silk uchimono—Silk beaten on a fulling block (kinuta) to bring out its luster.
bell cricket suzumushi—A species of cricket with a particularly melodious call.
benefice kōburi—Income similar to “sinecure,” although from a slightly different source.
Benevolent King, Rite of the Ninnō-e—A solemn Buddhist rite performed in the palace for the protection of the realm.
bird clappers hita—Slats of wood or bamboo attached to a string, so that they could be clapped together to frighten birds off the fields.
birth celebration ubuyashinai—A series of celebratory gatherings on the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth evenings after a birth. The guests brought gifts of food and clothing for the child.
biwa—A four-stringed musical instrument of the lute family, from China.
biwa minstrel biwa hōshi—A strolling musician who wore Buddhist robes and sang to his own biwa accompaniment.
blinds sudare, misu—Fine, roll-up bamboo blinds that hung from the upper lintel between the chamber and the aisle, and between the aisle and the veranda.
bluebell asagao—Literally “morning face.” This is now the name of the morning glory, but many scholars doubt that the asagao of the earlier chapters, especially the one directly associated with Princess Asagao, is that flower. The leading possibility otherwise is the kikyō (Platycodon grandiflorum), the “Chinese bellflower,” a sort of bluebell. In “The Bluebell” the beauty of the asagao is described in terms of nioi, a word associated with red, purple, violet, or yellow but not with pure blue or white, the only colors known for the morning glory in Heian times. (Red, purple, and so on did not appear until four or five centuries later.) “Bluebell” therefore appears in this translation in the chapters covering Genji's life. However, the asagao of “The Ivy” seems indeed to be the morning glory, since the passage so insists on the very transience for which the morning glory is known; moreover the kikyō is mentioned by name in “Writing Practice.”
Blue Roans, Festival of the Aouma (no Sechie)—Twenty-one horses, in principle rare blue roans, led before the Emperor, the Retired Emperor, the senior imperial ladies, and the Heir Apparent on the seventh day of the first month. The sight of them was held to be auspicious. The horses really were blue roans up to Murakami's reign (946–67), through the time covered in the tale, but thereafter they were white. This was the only New Year observance retained when an Emperor was in mourning. The custom was originally Chinese.
“Blue Sea Waves” “Seigaiha”—A “Chinese” bugaku piece for two dancers. The tossing of the dancers' sleeves is said to evoke the waves of the sea.
board fence kirikake—A cheap fence made of overlapping, diagonally placed boards.
board-roofed dwelling itaya—A dwelling simply and cheaply roofed with thin, overlapped planks held down by branches and stones.
brazier hioke—A portable tub generally made of wood and designed to hold charcoal burning in insulating ashes.
breakfast ōnkayu—Rice gruel or cooked rice (katagayu).
breakfast room asagarei—Adjoined the gentlewomen's sitting room to the north in the Emperor's residence in the palace.
bridgeway watadono—A short, rais
ed passageway that connected the main house to one of the wings. It could be enclosed, with doors, and even with rooms, or could be an open, roofed bridge.
broom tree hahakigi—In modern Japanese hōkigusa. An annual plant about three feet high, from the stems of which brooms could indeed be made.
bugaku—A repertoire of dances from the continent, accompanied by gagaku music and a large drum. The dances are separated into two subrepertoires: Tōgaku (“music from Tang [China]”), defined as the Left, and Komagaku (“music from Koma [Korea]”), defined as the Right.
Bureau (of Central Affairs, Ceremonial, Civil Affairs, Treasury, War)—See glossary of “Offices and Titles.”
burnet waremokō—A perennial plant two to three feet high, with compound pinnate leaves. In late summer each twig tip puts forth a small, elongated ball made up of tiny dark red flowers.
Butokuden—A pavilion in the greater palace compound from which the Emperor watched archery contests, horse races, and so on.
cabinet mizushi—A cabinet with doors, often surmounted by a tier of open shelves.
censer hitori—A vessel of silver or gilt bronze in which to burn incense. In use, it was placed inside a larger container of lacquered wood (hitorimo) and covered with a lid of metal mesh.
censer frame ko or fusego—A cagelike structure placed over a censer. Clothes could be draped over it to be warmed and scented.
Ceremonial Bureau examination Shikibu no Tsukasa no kokoromi—The second-level examination for students at the Academy. It allowed the student to pass from gimonjō (provisional candidate) status to monjōshō (regular candidate). See foundation examination.
chamber moya—The central structural and residential space within a house, sometimes divided into a smaller and larger room. The living space extended from the chamber into the aisle (hisashi), which could be partitioned into distinct rooms, and further into a veranda (sunoko) covered by eaves (noki). The smaller room of the chamber (nurigome, “retreat”), if present, could serve for sleeping or as a storeroom.
change of clothes for the new season koromogae—The prescribed change to summer clothes (including a change of interior decoration) on the first of the fourth month, and to winter ones on the first of the tenth month.
character-guessing games hen-tsugi—Games that involved guessing partly hidden characters or making up new ones by adding elements to given parts.
“Cherry Blossom Man” “Sakurabito”—A saibara song in dialogue form: “[The husband] Stay your boat, O cherry blossom man, I've to see to my fields on the island, and I'll be back tomorrow, yes, I'll be back tomorrow! [The wife] Tomorrow, you say, but he who has a woman there won't really be back tomorrow, no, not really back tomorrow.”
chest karabitsu—A long chest on legs, mainly for storing clothes. There also existed a some-what longer “narrow chest” (hosobitsu).
Chrysanthemum Festival Chōyō no Sechie—A festival held on the ninth day of the ninth month, though it had lapsed by the author's time. In a setting decorated with chrysanthemums (associated with long life and good fortune), the Emperor offered chrysanthemum wine to his courtiers, and the gathering composed poems in Chinese.
clappers hyōshi—Two lengths of wood clapped together for the rhythm in music.
cloth panel zejō or zenjō—A panel of cloth hung to protect someone from being seen. It might have a scene painted on the inner side, toward the person concealed.
coming-of-age genbuku—The coming-of-age ceremony for a boy, at which he first had his hair bound up, donned the costume and headdress of an adult, and assumed an adult name.
common gentleman naobito—A man of the fourth or fifth rank.
commoner tadabito—A gentleman who is not a member of the imperial family.
concluding banquet goen—The banquet given by the Emperor, normally in the second or third month, to those who had taken part in the New Year mumming.
concubine meshiudo—A gentlewomen (nyōbō) taken by her master as a sort of lesser mistress.
Confession (Rite of) (Hokke) Senbō—A ritual that combined chanting of the Lotus Sutra with confession of sins, to erase all sin for the beneficiary of the rite.
court—No word in the text distinguishes “palace” (see entry) from “court,” which appears in the translation when the emphasis seems to be particularly on the company present at the palace.
Court Repository Kurazukasa—A palace office charged with the care of various treasures and gifts to the court.
cover hyōshi—A cover for a rolled scroll, one that might also serve as a label. It could be made of paper or silk.
Crafts Workshop Tsukumodokoro—A palace office responsible for making accessories and furnishings. It came under the Chamberlains' Office.
cresset kagaribi—A wood fire contained in an iron cage, used for illuminating a garden at night or by cormorant fishermen to attract fish.
curtained bed michōdai—A curtained-off dais, like a small room within a room, that served as a sleeping chamber.
cushion shitone—A square, quilted mat four feet or so on a side, made of cloth filled with cotton padding and bordered with brocade. It was used for sitting or sleeping.
cypress box hiwarigo—A square, round, or fan-shaped tiered box made of finely split cypress wood.
dagger mihakashi—A dagger given a wellborn child at birth.
Dainichi Nyorai—The cosmic buddha of the Shingon Buddhist pantheon.
darani—A spell transliterated from Sanskrit via Chinese, hence unintelligible as language, and used to ward off sickness or disaster.
day of the (Rat, Ox, etc.)—See hour.
dayflower tsukikusa—Modern Japanese tsuyukusa (Commelina communis), a common plant with sky blue flowers that yield a quickly fading blue dye.
dedicatory prayer ganmon—A text composed by the sponsor of a rite, in order to communicate the rite's intent to the deity or deities addressed.
demon oni—A supernatural creature variously imagined, but typically a terrifying red or blue-black variant on the human form.
desk bundai—A low writing table used on a formal occasion when poetry was presented to the host. The desk was placed below the steps leading up to the center of the south side of the residence, and each participant went in turn to place his composition on it.
directional taboo futagari, kataimi, katatagae—See Mid-God.
display carriage idashiguruma—A carriage under the blinds of which gentlewomen allowed their sleeves to hang in a brilliant display of color.
diver—See seafolk.
Divine Birth at Kamo Kamo no Miare—A nighttime rite that reenacted the appearance on earth of Wakeikazuchi, the deity of the Upper Kamo Shrine. It took place on the middle Monkey day in the fourth month and was followed the next day by the Kamo Festival.
doll hitogata—A simulacrum of a human being, three-dimensional or cut out of paper, used in purification rites. Evil influences were ritually infused into the doll (or dolls), which was then sent floating down a river or out to sea.
donning of the train mogi—The coming-of-age ceremony for a girl, at which she first put on a train (mo). It was often done in preparation for the girl's marriage.
donning of the trousers hakama gi—A rite of passage during which a little boy or girl, typically three or five years old, was first dressed in trousers.
Double Doors tsumado—hinged doors, opening outward, near the corners of the main house (shinden), placed so that one could walk through them and across a bridgeway (watadono) to the wing (tai) on either side.
double tray tsuigasane—A tray (oshiki) combined with a simple rectangular stand.
East, the Azuma—The eastern region of Japan's main island, seen from the City. It was centered on the present Kanto area.
“Eastern Cottage, The” “Azumaya”—A saibara song in which a man arrives at a woman's door in the pouring rain and demands to be admitted. The woman, inside, answers that the door is unlocked and urges him to come in. The “eastern cottage” was a f
orm of thatched house characteristic of eastern Japan.
Eastern Dances Azuma Asobi—A set of dances based on folk songs from Azuma. They were prominent in the dance repertoire of the Heian court.
Eastern Hills Higashi Yama—The hills on the eastern side of the City.
east pavilion higashi no in—The new house that Genji built on the Nijō property he had inherited from his mother, in order to accommodate some of his women.
Eight Bureaus Hasshō—The eight major government bureaus: Central Affairs, Ceremonial, Civil Affairs, Popular Affairs, Punishments, Treasury, War, and Palace Affairs. These were located in a compound that was continuous with the Great Hall of State (Daigokuden), the major ceremonial building in the palace precincts.
Eight Discourses, Rite of the Mi-hakō—A four-day rite celebrating the Lotus Sutra. Each day a formal debate, held in morning and afternoon sessions, developed the content of two of the sutra's eight scrolls.
emolument mifu—Income attached to court rank and derived from the labor of a set number of households.
equinox higan—A seven-day period in the second (spring) and eighth (autumn) months, surrounding the day of the equinox itself. The first and last days of higan were particularly lucky.
escort saki—Men who preceded a great lord and gave cries to warn others from their master's path.
evening service soya (no tsutome)—A Buddhist service that started at about 6:00 P.M. and ended at about 10:00.
extension hanachiide—An enlargement to the living space of a house, though its precise nature is a little unclear. It seems to have been made by removing the partitions (blinds, sliding panels) between the chamber and the aisle, but the word may sometimes also refer to an extension to the existing structure.
fasting sōjin—Abstinence from wine and meat, and chanting of Buddhist scriptures.
“Fence of Rushes” “Ashigaki”—A saibara song about a lover who comes to steal his bride from her father's house and gets caught.
ferns (of memory) shinobu—See grasses of remembering.
The Tale of Genji: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Junichiro Breakdown of Genji) Page 169
