The Tale of Genji- A Visual Companion
Page 32
ing can refer to the building at Sanjō f rom which
marriage to Rokunokimi. First, she provokes his
Kaoru emerged as well as to the veranda at Nijō to
jealous nature by writing to Kaoru and requesting
which he will next ascend. The architectural features
a meeting, leading to an unusually bold move by
recall Kaoru’s early morning visit to Nakanokimi at
Kaoru, in which he gets close enough to leave his
Nijō — one of the wooden exterior doors has been
indelible scent on her body for Niou to detect. The
swung outward, with a metal latch hanging in its
prospect of cuckoldry keeps Niou f rom staying too
upper right corner emphasizing how it was opened
long with his new bride. Later, the birth of a son
to provide access to the princess. In the narrative of
to Nakanokimi results in Niou sequestering himself
this visit to Nakanokimi, the attendants eventually
with her for an even longer period, much to the irri-
lay out a mat on the veranda for Kaoru so that he
tation of Rokunokimi’s father Yūgiri. At the same
keeps his distance f rom their lady, and he converses
time, Nakanokimi must manage Kaoru’s increas-
with her through drawn bamboo blinds and layers
ing passion for her, which she does by revealing the
of standing curtains. Irritated by such restrictions
existence of a secret half sister, the character known
given his familiarity and history with the family,
as Ukifune. Although born to a servant woman
Kaoru is tempted to cross the threshold, leaning on
related to Hachinomiya’s late wife, the girl is still
the door f rame ( shimo-nageshi) as he contemplates
the fl esh and blood of the prince and apparently
lifting the blinds to speak to Nakanokimi face to
the living image of Kaoru’s deceased love Oigimi.
face. He restrains himself, however, and instead By the end of the chapter Kaoru has confi rmed the pushes beneath the blinds the morning glory f rom
resemblance during an extended kaimami scene at
his garden, placed on a fan. In a poem Kaoru lik-
the Uji villa where the young woman stops on her
ens the fl ower to Nakanokimi and the dew on its
return f rom a pilgrimage to Hasedera. Ukifune is
surface to her sister. But as Dennis Washburn notes,
introduced in the context of Kaoru’s desire to cre-
Nakanokimi reverses the identifi cation in her reply.
ate an effi
gy and painted portrait of Oigimi. Despite
She claims to be the dew with nothing to cling to,
her being characterized as merely a “living doll” for
now that her sister is gone, faded like the wilted
Kaoru to remind himself of his deceased beloved,
maiden fl ower that has already changed color since
Ukifune will emerge as the most remarkable hero-
being removed f rom Kaoru’s garden.
ine of the remaining chapters in the tale.
Chapter 49 | Trees Encoiled in Vines of Ivy | 219
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The young lady was reclining
near the veranda as she gazed out
at the courtyard f ramed by the
passageways on the west side of the
villa. She was evidently captivated
by the extraordinary beauty of the
fl owers blooming there in a riot of
colors and by the charm of the tall
stones that lined the garden stream.
washburn, p. 1144, modified
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50
A Hut in
the Eastern
Provinces
Azumaya
Konata no rō no naka no
tsubosenzai no ito okashiu iroiro
ni Hirakimidaretaru ni, yarimizu
no watari no ishi takaki hodo
ito okashikereba, hashi chikaku
soifushite nagamuru narikeri.
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The painting for Chapter Fifty depicts Ukifune at
colorful small fl owers near the veranda and around
the Nijō residence of her half sister, Nakanokimi,
the winding garden stream. The lattice shutters in
after she has left the home of her stepfather, the
Ukifune’s room have been opened for her, and the
Vice Governor of Hitachi. Ukifune’s mother has
horizontal bamboo blinds with their colorful tassels
secretly attempted and failed to marry Ukifune to
have been raised, showing the unobstructed view
a nobleman, in the process prioritizing her over her
that she peacefully enjoys. Walkways and railings
other daughter with the Governor and making her
of the adjacent buildings defi ne the square enclo-
no longer welcome in the household. Ukifune’s sure of the private and protected courtyard space.
mother turns for assistance to Nakanokimi, who
Caught completely off guard, Ukifune is startled
agrees to hide Ukifune temporarily in a remote and confused when Niou enters her room, and she corner of Nijō, all the while never informing Niou
raises her fan to hide her face. Niou then grabs hold
that the half sister exists, let alone that she is living
of her robes and her hand clasping the fan, asking
in his house. One evening, after Niou returns f rom
her who she is while keeping his own identity secret.
the palace where he has been attending to his ailing
Without any idea that his wife’s half-sibling has
mother, the Akashi Empress, he seeks out his wife’s
been staying at his home, Niou assumes the mysteri-
company in the west wing of Nijō only to fi nd that
ous woman he discovers to be a new lady-in-waiting.
she is occupied with the laborious process of having
In the world of the tale, dalliances with such women
her hair washed. He teasingly scolds her for leaving
by a man of Niou’s status are considered inconse-
him bored and lonely and wanders about, when he
quential if they pose no social threat to the principal
suddenly spots a young serving girl he has never seen
wife and her family. Niou’s assumption that Ukifune
before (a woman who has accompanied Ukifune) in
is of low status also foreshadows the ambiguous
the western aisle room of Nakanokimi’s quarters.
position this new heroine will continue to occupy
His curiosity piqued, he looks through the crack of
throughout the rest of the story. After Ukifune’s
a sliding door that had been left open, assuming the
mother was shunned by Hachinomiya an
d mar-
usual kaimami pose. The narrative describes how
ried the Vice Governor of Hitachi, she was forced
he quietly widens the sliding panel to see around
to raise Ukifune in the provinces, but she views
a folding screen in f ront of the door and stealthily
her daughter as worthy of an auspicious marriage.
enters the room. The text in the adjacent calligra-
Even if the girl’s true father, Hachimomiya, never
phy sheet describes Niou watching Ukifune as she
acknowledged her, she is the daughter of a prince,
gazes out at the beautiful courtyard garden ( tsubo
and the granddaughter of the Kiritsubo Emperor in
senzai), represented in the painting by an array of
whose reign the tale began. Ukifune is therefore like
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Genji — she is a fi gure of royal lineage who is denied
discovering Ukifune’s whereabouts. Kaoru then
the full benefi ts of her heritage, yet who still retains
composes a poem referring to Ukifune’s new hide-
the inherent radiant appeal of her bloodline, which
away as the “Eastern Abode” (Azumaya), giving
attracts men like Kaoru and Niou.
the chapter its title. In a show of uncharacteristic
After hearing about Niou’s advances on her decisiveness, at the end of the chapter the usually daughter, which were apparently prevented f rom
hesitant lover forces his way into Ukifune’s cham-
going too far by the girl’s stalwart nurse who inter-
bers at the “Eastern Abode” and spends the night
venes, Ukifune’s mother moves her to a small amid the strange surroundings. The scene recalls house she is having constructed in the capital. The
the night Genji spent with Yūgao in Chapter Four,
character of Ukifune’s mother and the staff of the
as Kaoru overhears the exotic sounds of peddlers
household into which she has married provide the
and workers at dawn when he awakes, which are
tale’s fi rst extended look at nouveau riche members
said to be completely unfamiliar to him. In another
of the governing class ( zuryō), along with glimpses
echo of the Yūgao episode, Kaoru suddenly whisks
of the warriors rising in power in the eastern prov-
Ukifune away by carriage, this time to the Uji villa,
inces. The watchmen at the small abode speak in
setting the stage for the remaining chapters and a
“vulgar eastern accents” ( iyashiki azumagoe), star-
return to the territory of old romantic pursuits for
tling Kaoru, who visits the small house soon after
both Kaoru and Niou.
Chapter 50 | A Hut in the Eastern Provinces | 223
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Though the orange-tree isle
Remain fast in its color,
’Tis not such change,
But this drifting boat’s whither
That is beyond all knowing.
cranston, p. 956
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51
A Boat
Cast Adrift
Ukifune
Tachibana
no
Kojima no iro wa
Kawaraji
o
Kono ukifune zo
Yukue shirarenu
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Niou cannot stop thinking about his encounter with
the f ragile boats she had always viewed f rom afar
Ukifune and enlists a network of retainers, some in
to a strange, distant shore, Ukifune leans into Niou,
Kaoru’s employ, to discover her location and help
who embraces her. Mitsunobu depicts Ukifune
him arrange a clandestine trip to Uji. Visits to Uji
turned toward Niou, her head tilted and her gaze
f rom both men begin in earnest, leaving Ukifune
lowered, with the shape of her head matching the
anxious and upset over the impossible entanglement
contour of his profi le as if to show their intimate
with her sister’s husband and the scandal that will
connection. The painting gives us a full view of her
inevitably ensue. Yet she fi nds herself drawn to the
face, which is shown with a few strands of her abun-
passionate Niou, while remaining dependent on the
dant tresses falling across her bushy eyebrows, while
seemingly steadfast Kaoru. On his second visit, Niou
the length of her hair is suggested by the curlicues
disguises his lofty rank and travels on horseback
and ends that nearly reach the hem of her garment.
through treacherous mountains and falling snow to
Ukifune’s voluminous silvery gray robes fi ll the
reach Ukifune, risking discovery by the watchmen
part of the boat that extends beyond Niou to the
Kaoru has positioned at the villa. To avoid the pry-
left, while a red undergarment appears behind her
ing eyes of staff loyal to Kaoru, Niou arranges to
outlined in gold. Niou, with his back to the viewer,
use an empty residence across the river where he
perfectly complements the shape and weight of
and Ukifune can be together at their leisure. In the
Ukifune’s fi gure, his billowing trousers to the left
dramatic and evocative scene depicted in the album
and white robed form intermeshed with her gar-
painting, Niou carries Ukifune off in the middle of
ments. With his tall courtier’s hat and downward
the night, to a boat that will take them to the other
gaze at Ukifune, Niou is an imposing presence,
shore. Images of their trip across the icy waters of
but his expression seems to refl ect his thoughts as
the river, beneath the lingering moon in the dawn
related in the tale — that he fi nds her most charming.
light, are among the most familiar in the history of
This depiction of the couple face to face also
Genji painting, with the version in the album being
suggests the moment of their poetic exchange, one
the oldest dated example currently known. As with
verse of which is included in the album’s calligra-
the other winter scenes in the album, the painting
phy. Their poems are prompted by the voice of
evokes the quiet stillness of a chilly winter night.
the oarsman, who announces, “This is the Orange
The shores of a small islet where the c
ouple will
Tree Isle,” referring to the rocky island before them
stop temporarily extend into the composition f rom
covered in lush mandarin orange trees. Alluding to
the right, and consist of two golden, low-lying land
a Kokinshū poem, Niou likens his love to the ever-
masses with a layer of thick white to show the accu-
green orange trees, unchanging even in the midst of
mulated snow. Green rocks at the tip of the shore
winter, and lasting for a thousand years. Ukifune’s
meet the river, with mica-covered, light blue areas
reply, in the adjacent calligraphy, echoes the senti-
indicating the water’s f rozen edges. Bending reeds
ment about the steadfast orange tree, but introduces
encased in white, fl ecks of white falling snow, and
the subject of the “boat adrift” ( ukifune), a metaphor
delicate white lines interspersed with the deep blue
for her own predicament, which gives the charac-
mineral pigment of the waves, all contribute to the
desolate beauty of the scene.
The oblong boat carrying the two lovers enters
the scene f rom the left, as if slowly gliding toward
the shores of the islet. Although the passage in the
tale has them accompanied by an oarsman and
Ukifune’s attendant Jijū, the painting crops out the
stern of the vessel and depicts the couple alone.
Overwhelmed by the experience of riding in one of
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ter her name. Although the intimate scene aboard
with Niou, ponder aloud how she would disown
the boat has come to epitomize romance, Laura
her were she to be involved in a scandal. Feeling as
Allen has pointed out that Mitsunobu’s rendition
though she has no other options, Ukifune decides
captures the turmoil beneath the surface and within
to drown herself in the Uji River, following a long
Ukifune’s heart. Even the falling snow in this paint-
line of heroines who met similar ends in ancient
ing hints at something more ominous, as suggested
tales. The chapter concludes with a series of poems
by the poem she composes the following day: