Flitting f rom tree to tree,
To its old nest in the valley
A-calling comes the warbler.
“And how I have waited for that voice!”
cranston, p. 817
112
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:25:19 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
SS180121-Genji_061518.indd 112
23/6/2018 1:13 PM
23
First Song
of Spring
Hatsune
Mezurashi ya
Hana no negura ni
Kozutaite
Tani no furusu o
Toeru uguisu
“Koe machiidetaru” nado mo ari.
113
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:25:19 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
SS180121-Genji_061518.indd 113
23/6/2018 1:13 PM
It is New Year’s Day, the start of spring in the lunar
seasonally appropriate, it also unmistakably regis-
calendar, and amid the splendor and festivity at the
ters the Akashi Lady’s sadness about her inability to
Rokujōin estate, Genji visits all of his women in their
meet with her daughter. The sent gifts express her
respective seasonal quarters. The album painting for
feelings as well, as she switches the warbler’s perch
Chapter Twenty-Three depicts him that evening in
f rom its conventional plum, a symbol of spring and
the winter rooms of the Akashi Lady, where he will
of the girl’s home with Murasaki, to a fi ve-needled
spend the night. His progression through the sea-
pine, a tree of winter, suggesting the Akashi Lady’s
sons began, however, in Murasaki’s spring quarters
northern quarters.
where the garden has just begun to fl ourish. The
The guilt of separating mother and daughter
tale relates how the couple exchange verses, taking
seems to be too much for Genji as he insists that his
up the motif of the icy pond (as in Chapter Twenty)
daughter reply to her mother immediately, and then
but transforming it into an auspicious symbol — a
personally visits the Akashi Lady’s rooms, where we
mirror refl ecting their beautiful visages and a har-
fi nd him in the album painting. White plum blos-
moniousness that will last for “a thousand years,”
soms, the quintessential fl ower of spring, fi ll the
as Murasaki intones. The poetic communication outside space behind Genji and evoke Murasaki’s that occurs on this day, and even the banter between
garden, which is also her daughter’s “fl owery roost.”
Genji and his various ladies-in-waiting, references a
Inside, however, everything points to the Akashi
long history of ritualistic court poetry that praises
Lady. An alluring scent wafting from her room beck-
a benefi cent ruler and off ers wishes for a long-last-
ons him as he approaches, suggested in the painting
ing reign. In this way, Genji’s survey of his private
by the round lacquered incense brazier. In the tale it
domain resembles a ruler receiving felicitations is described as just lit and smoldering jijū incense, a f rom his subjects. Yet the author never takes this
mixture of aloeswood, clove, sandalwood, musk, and
conceit too far, making sure that all of the wom-
the aromatic resin of the Mediterranean evergreen,
en’s comments or poetic off erings leave room for
mingling with the earlier scent of Melia azedarach, or
other interpretations, including those that even Persian lilac. However, the lady herself is nowhere to make light of Genji’s grandeur. From Murasaki’s
be seen, and he fi nds only the sensuous presence of
rooms Genji moves to another wing in the spring
her things, which seem still animated by her touch. A
quarter occupied by his daughter, the Akashi girl.
Chinese-style koto, or kin, with its clearly articulated
Gifts f rom her biological mother, the Akashi Lady,
seven strings, rests on a richly pattered silk mat, with
have just arrived: artfully crafted woven baskets and
an embroidered border of continental brocade. The
boxes of delicacies, an artifi cial warbler perched on
image of the kin calls to mind the instrument’s piv-
a fabricated pine branch, and a poem f rom which
otal role in originally bringing the couple together,
the chapter gets its name.
the Akashi Lady’s renowned musical skill in a style
of play passed down from Emperor Daigo, and the
Toshitsuki o
Through the months and years,
seven-stringed koto that Genji brought with him
Matsu ni hikarete
Ever drawn to the seedling pine,
into exile and that he gave to the Akashi Lady on
Furu hito ni
Waits the aged one;
his return to the capital. Scattered around the room
Kyō uguisu no
Today permit her to listen
Genji also fi nds the lady’s writings — sheets of paper
Hatsune kikase yo
To the warbler’s fi rst spring song.
with jottings of calligraphy, and notebooks of her
cranston, p. 816
poetry. The painting depicts four notebooks, all with
The Akashi Lady writes beneath her poem the decorative covers in striking diagonal color blocks phrase, “In this village where no warbler sings,”
that anticipate book design of the early seventeenth
making clear that the bird represents her little girl,
century. Genji holds one volume in his hands, entirely
whose voice she no longer hears. Although the let-
absorbed, seemingly intoxicated by the atmosphere,
ter is kept carefully within the confi nes of what is
and unaware of himself. He reads a poem written
114 | The Tale of Genji
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:25:19 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
SS180121-Genji_061518.indd 114
23/6/2018 1:14 PM
by the Akashi Lady, the same one included in the
viding him with his only daughter. The enchanting
album’s calligraphy, which is a personal response to
atmosphere in the Akashi Lady’s quarters, and the
the letter and poem she has just received from her
subtle demand for recognition encoded in its trap-
daughter. As elsewhere in the album, the calligraphy
pings, compels Genji to spend the fi rst night of the
captures the words or thoughts of a fi gure absent
year with her rather than with Murasaki, a decision
from the painting and has the eff ect of voice-over
for which he will have to endure Murasaki’s resent-
narration for the viewer.
ment. The gesture acknowledges the Akashi Lady’s
The Akashi Lady does, however, appear as an
role as the future Empress’s biological mother, as
“absent presence” in this scene, not only through
well as Genji’s deep connection to the Akashi family.
the depiction of possessions that are unmistak-
Despite the sadness of living apart f rom her daugh-
ab
ly hers but also through motifs that suggest her
ter, in a “village where no warbler sings,” the Akashi
impending return. The sliding door on the right
Lady’s sacrifi ce ensures the recuperation of her
side of the composition, for example, stands open
family line and Genji’s success in redeeming his own
just enough to reveal the adjacent room, which con-
matriline. It was perhaps for this reason, in part, that
tains a gold and black lacquered stand supporting a
the verse cited above, and the pictorial symbols of
fabric curtain. In the tale, the lady discreetly enters
Chapter Twenty-Three — the warbler, the plum, the
the room only moments after the scene depicted
pine — were emblazoned on the luxurious lacquer
in the album painting, so that the curtain suggests
sets of bridal trousseaus in the early modern period.
her off stage presence, and perhaps even a deliberate
The auspiciousness of the New Year, the scenes
contrivance of the tableau that Genji discovers. The
of Genji’s prosperity at the Rokujōin estate, and
room is full of elements that elicit Genji’s memories
the lessons contained in the moral fortitude of the
of Akashi, including the Chinese touches of the sur-
Akashi Lady made for a powerful combination, use-
roundings that are similar to those of the Novitiate’s
ful for instructing young brides, and for expressing
residence, which must remind him of the Akashi
their families’ wishes for powerful and successful
family’s wealth and crucial role in his success by pro-
marital unions.
Chapter 23 | First Song of Spring | 115
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:25:19 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
SS180121-Genji_061518.indd 115
23/6/2018 1:14 PM
Not for me the mountain
On a bright spring day
Mounted on the turtle’s back;
All across the bay the boat
No, I shall stay
Moves to the pole,
Here in our boat and leave behind
And the droplets scattering
A name for never aging.
Are blossoms in the shining sun.
cranston, p. 818
116
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:25:23 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
SS180121-Genji_061518.indd 116
23/6/2018 1:14 PM
24
Butterfl ies
Kochō
Kame no ue no
Haru no hi no
Yama mo tazuneji
Urara ni sashite
Fune no uchi ni
Yuku fune wa
Oi senu na o ba
Sao no shizuku mo
Koko ni nokosan
Hana zo chirikeru
117
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:25:23 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
SS180121-Genji_061518.indd 117
23/6/2018 1:14 PM
Although it is now late spring, the cherry blossoms
leaves. The conspicuous fl ower appears in two of
in Murasaki’s garden that should have waned con-
four total poems by the ladies-in-waiting composed
tinue to fl ourish, just like the fl owers that defi ed
aboard the boats, but not included in the album
the season in the northern mountains where calligraphy text. In one, Murasaki’s kerria becomes Genji fi rst discovered the “little purple gromwell”
the famous “Cape of Yamabuki” (Yamabukinosaki)
in Chapter Five. That earlier description signaled
in nearby Ōmi Province, which seems to have
Genji’s entry into an otherworldly realm in the hills
informed Mitsunobu’s depiction of the fl ower
above the capital, and in the “Butterfl ies” chapter,
paired with a craggy rock. In another poem, a yel-
the Rokujōin is similarly marked as it is likened to
low blossom on the banks of the Ide River lends its
paradise (a “land of living Buddhas”). In the fi rst
golden hue to the water when the wind scatters its
poem included with this chapter’s album painting,
petals on the surface. In juxtaposing the blossoms
the estate is said to rival even “the mountain on
directly over the dark blue pond with its swirling
the turtle’s back,” that is, the immortal realm of
waves delineated in black ink, the painter seems to
Mount Hōrai. The speaker of the poem is one of
have responded to this poetic image as well. The
the several ladies-in-waiting f rom the Umetsubo conceit of the water’s surface as a place of magical Empress’s autumn quarters whom Genji has invited
metamorphosis appears throughout this passage in
to view Murasaki’s garden. The women will act as
the tale; it is likened to a brocade in which the rip-
surrogates for the Empress, since her elevated posi-
ples made by paddling ducks weave new patterns, or
tion precludes a visit merely to view the garden and
as in the second poem featured in the album’s callig-
enjoy its delights. The women travel in Chinese-
raphy, to a place where concentric circles made by
style wooden boats that Genji has constructed to
the dipping of the rowers’ oars become blossoming
navigate the vast pond that connects the autumn
fl owers ( sao no shizuku mo, hana zo chirikeru).
and spring quarters (see Chapter 21) — the prow of
The passage in the tale presents Murasaki’s
each boat has been carved in the shape of a diff er-
garden as it is seen through the eyes of the ladies-
ent mythical animal, a large water bird ( geki), and
in-waiting, but the painting takes a diff erent vantage
a dragon ( ryū), associated respectively with the ele-
point, that of the occupant of the building in the
ments of wind and water. Setting out for the spring,
foreground, an implied Murasaki, gazing out f rom
they row beyond a rocky promontory that divides
behind lowered bamboo blinds toward the spectacle
the two residences to behold a f resh new vista, as
on the water. Motifs are stacked and staggered to
though they had entered a foreign land.
suggest recession into the distance across the pond,
The ladies dock at an islet in the center of the
and the vividly painted dragon and bird-headed
pond and view Murasaki’s grounds f rom a dis-
boats, touches of gold paint on their eyes for enliv-
tance, glimpsing the cherries through veils of thick
enment, appear to fl oat back and forth. The page
spring mist and noting the purple wisteria wrapping
girls make “water blossoms” with their oars as men-
around the covered walkways. The purple blossoms
tioned above, stirring up white cherry petals that
appear in the lower left corner of the painting, with
fi ve clusters of the pendulous fl owers hanging over
the roofed corridor. The other emblematic fl ower
of Murasaki’s garden is the kerria ( yamabuki), the
deep yellow fl ower of late spring. In the painting,
it occupies a place in the center of the composition,
poking out f rom behind a green rock on the edge
of the pond. Layers of shell white, yellow pigment,
and gold paint make up the blossoms, while thin
gold lines defi ne the veins of the plant’s bright green
118 | The Tale of Genji
This content downloaded from 129.174.21.5 on Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:25:23 UTC
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
SS180121-Genji_061518.indd 118
23/6/2018 1:14 PM
fl oat on the water. The girls are dressed like boys,
worldy and appropriately tuned to the Buddhist
with their tresses tied into loops in the Chinese style,
ceremony, as the cry of the kalavinka in paradise is
like Genji wore his hair before he came of age in the
said to give voice to the dharma. The pretense for
fi rst leaf of the album. The women will disembark
the visit is to off er fl owers to the Buddha, and in the
f rom their boats and enter the mansion through the
tale the silver and gold vessels of cherry blossoms
fi shing pavilion of the southeastern abode. There
and kerria brought by the girls are dutifully placed
they will be treated to music and dance, which will
on the altar.
continue until early morning.
The scene is magical and participates in the
The next day, Murasaki sends her own messen-
overall eff ect of these middle chapters, which is to
gers across the pond, off ering the Empress a hint at
present the Rokujōin as a site that rivals the impe-
the splendors of her spring realm. The Empress has
rial palace. At the same time, the private nature of
sponsored a grand sutra reading that day attended
Genji’s estate allows the mistresses of the seasons to
by the entire court and offi
ciated by numerous
act as the protagonists of these events. But not all
Buddhist priests. Murasaki uses the exotic boats is peaceful in this paradise. The spring season has docked in her pond to transport eight page girls to
aroused memories in Genji of his youth, his aff air
the ceremony spectacularly costumed as the para-
with Yūgao, and a longing for Yūgao’s daughter
disal kalavinka birds and butterfl ies of court bugaku
The Tale of Genji- A Visual Companion Page 18
