The Tale of Genji

The Tale of Genji (源氏物語, Genji monogatari, pronounced [ɡeɲdʑi monoɡaꜜtaɾi]), also known as Genji Monogatari, is a classic work of <a href="/facts/Japanese_literature/nasdY2wG">Japanese literature</a> written by the noblewoman, poet, and <a href="/facts/Lady-in-waiting/kmb7xW96">lady-in-waiting</a> <a href="/facts/Murasaki_Shikibu/o9I2T2LL">Murasaki Shikibu</a> around the peak of the <a href="/facts/Heian_period/PmIGpfCx">Heian period</a>, in the early 11th century. The original manuscript no longer exists. It was made in "<a href="/facts/Folded_leaflet/Exwjlao4">concertina</a>" or <a href="/facts/Orihon/gx6UpGkm">orihon</a> style: several sheets of paper pasted together and folded alternately in one direction then the other.
The work is a unique depiction of the lifestyles of high <a href="/facts/Courtier/kJgL3YBW">courtiers</a> during the Heian period. It is written in archaic language and a poetic style that requires specialised study. In the early 20th century Genji was translated into modern Japanese by the poet <a href="/facts/Akiko_Yosano/zCT8WDCk">Akiko Yosano</a>. The first English translation of Genji was made in 1882 by <a href="/facts/Suematsu_Kencho/sNQdFseu">Suematsu Kencho</a>, but was of poor quality and left incomplete. <a href="/facts/Arthur_Waley/rtaah89r">Arthur Waley</a> translated an almost complete version which excludes only the 38th chapter (Suzumushi/The Bell Cricket) between 1925 and 1933. Since then, complete English translations have been made by <a href="/facts/Edward_Seidensticker/byL0SMuT">Edward Seidensticker</a>, <a href="/facts/Royall_Tyler_(academic)/xPwCHyR0">Royall Tyler</a>, and <a href="/facts/Dennis_Washburn/PnCTj0Rd">Dennis Washburn</a>.
The work recounts the life of <a href="/facts/Hikaru_Genji/5Tf99VQz">Hikaru Genji</a>, or "Shining Genji". Genji is the son of the <a href="/facts/Japanese_emperor/efBDe6cj">emperor</a> (known to readers as Emperor Kiritsubo) and a low-ranking concubine called <a href="/facts/Kiritsubo_Consort/0pQCSkpx">Kiritsubo Consort</a>. However, for political reasons, the emperor removes Genji from the line of succession, demoting him to commoner status by giving him the surname <a href="/facts/Minamoto_clan/zUhSp6e0">Minamoto</a>. Genji then pursues a career as an imperial officer. The tale concentrates on Genji's romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time. It is one of history's first <a href="/facts/Novel/3Q8sXXLU">novels</a>, the first by a woman to have won global recognition, and in Japan today has a stature like that of Shakespeare in England.

The Tale of Genji open-in-new

The Tale of Genji