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The Tale Of Genji
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Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary: “Beneath the Autumn Leaves” (Momiji no Ga) [Suetsumuhana] – (Complete Chapter)
The seventh chapter’s title is yet again descriptive of its setting. The section begins in autumn, and Genji is going on 19 yearsold. The scene opens with a major festivity for a former emperor in his family, which is likely a birthday celebration.
During a rehearsal for the jubilee, Genji’s song and dance performances are so wonderful that His Majesty, Senior Nobles, and Princes weep while watching him. The Kokiden Consort is enraged by Genji’s talent and beauty; meanwhile, Fujitsubo wistfully knows she would like his performance better were he not such a philanderer. Later that night, the Emperor, still believing Fujitsubo’s unborn child to be his (and with no awareness Genji is the father), asks her how she enjoyed the rehearsal. She is short in answering,and merely says it was very nice, as she is overwhelmed by fear of her secret affair with Genji ever being discovered.
The next day, Genji sends her a message;he is overjoyed when he hears back from her, but he still returns to his little Murasaki, despite his awareness of Fujitsubo’s struggles and knowing she is secretly carrying Genji’s child. Meanwhile, back at Nijo, little Murasaki is still young enough to play with her “Genji doll,” and her childlike manner occasionally frustrates Genji. He orders her to stop wearing her mourning clothes and to begin dressing more maturely.
Shortly after the New Year, Fujitsubo gives birth to Reizei, the next Heir Apparent. Despite that the child looks stunningly like Genji, the Emperor harbors no suspicion that Genji is the father, and he says nothing about the resemblance. Soon, Fujitsubo is officially made Empress, much to the Kokiden Consort’s dismay. The elevation in rank is fitting since Fujitsubo is his favorite partner, of higher breeding than all others, and now finally has given the Emperor a son (even though Genji is secretly the father). Despite his obsession with and love for Murasaki, Genji mourns this change in rank for Fujitsubo. He says to himself: “‘There can be no end to a darkness in my heart that blots out all things, now that I must watch her go off to live among the clouds’” (150). Though, as Empress, Fujitsubo’s position has further improved, her rise officially means she is now truly unreachable to Genji.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Under the Cherry Blossoms” [Hana no En] – (Complete Chapter)
The name of Chapter 8 is another descriptive title, since the scene begins at a celebration for the blooming of a tree’s cherry blossoms. The first paragraph also features an example of high-ranking royalty as hidden from view during a large festivity: the Emperor wants Fujitsubo, now Empress, there with him, as well as his new son. Both are behind screens, but on either side of him, as is customary. Despite this, the Kokiden Consort is yet again angry to see the elevation and success of Fujitsubo receive attention, but she is obligated to attend the celebration anyway, for her own strategic political reasons.
During a Chinese poetry contest at the celebration, Genji excels with competing to create poems from a given set of words. There is also dancing performed, in which Genji participates and is yet again “incomparable” (153). Genji’s beautiful performance even causes the Minister of the Left to forget his political annoyances with the Emperor and Fujitsubo’s promotionand weep over the dance. Genji also excels at a poetry competition, and though To no Chujo needed more rehearsal, he does so well he is awarded the Emperor’s robe.
After a wonderful celebration, and when almost everyone is asleep, Genji drunkenly attempts to make his way to Fujitsubo’s room. However, her servant’s door is locked and he cannot gain access to the Empress without her ladies’ help. Instead, he begins to wander around the palace premises, and he comes to the Kokiden’s wing of the grounds. As the Kokiden Consort has gone to serve His Majesty after the party, Genji finds a door unlocked in the hall, and comments “this is how people get themselves into trouble” (155). After making it into her apartments, Genji hears a woman humming the song “Oborozukiyo.” The text refers to her as this name onward, and Genji begins his attempts at seducing her, though she resists.
Genji convinces her to lose her virginity to him, which is why he later assumes she must be the fifth or sixth younger sister of the Kokiden Consort. Later, Genji still is not fully aware of the identity of the young woman (Oborozukiyo). After he asks his servants to look into her identity, he discovers she is betrothed to be a wife to the Kokiden Consort’s son, the Heir Apparent. Genji exchanges fans with her.
Later in the spring season, Oborozukiyo’s father hosts a feast to honor wisteria. This time he goes looking specifically for her, singing about a fan in hopes of finding her. They do find each other, and exchange the poems, so that the next time he finds her, at an archery contest for The Minister of the Right, he recognizes her voice behind a lattice. The chapter ends on what modern storytelling considers a “cliff-hanger.”He is glad to know the voice on the other side of the lattice is the young woman he has most recently been with, but the last lines end on an ellipses: “He was delighted, though at the same time…” (161). This inconclusive ending implies that while Genji is glad he is speaking to the woman for whom he has been searching, she is both engaged to the Heir Apparent and already a sexual conquest in Genji’s view. The excitement of this particular affair is mainly over.
Chapter 9 Summary: “Heart-to-Heart” [Aoi] – (Abridged Chapter)
Two years have passed since the moment marking the end of Chapter 8; at the start of Chapter 9, Genji is in his early twenties. During that time, Suzaku, the Heir Apparent (Genji’s half-brother and son of the Kokiden Consort) has become Emperor, and Genji’s father has abdicated. While since the last chapter Genji has been elevated to Commander of the Right by his father, the Kokiden Consort’s party is now in power, since her son is now Emperor.
The chapter begins around the Festival of Kamo, as Genji’s father (the former Emperor) gives him some advice. He has heard the Rokujo Lady is traveling with her daughter, Akikonomu, High Priestess of Isle, since she has expressed concern about her daughter being too young to defend herself against Genji, should he pursue her on Isle: “‘Never cause a woman humiliation,’ His Eminence continued. ‘Treat each with tact and avoid provoking her anger’”(163). Genji’s father tells him to refrain from offending Rokuji Lady and to stay away from her daughter, especially because of their status and social power. Genji leaves terrified, as he does not want to imagine what would happen to him should his father learn of all his affairs, and especially his secret romance with Fujitsubo.
Genji soon goes to visithis wife Aoi at Sanjo, as she is pregnant with his child and suffering morning sickness. Seeing her ill and vulnerable elicits his sympathy towards Aoi for the first time.Though Genji leaves after a time, Aoi feels somewhat better in weeks to come, despite that she is still hurt by rumors of Genji’s philandering. As the Festival at Isle approaches, her mother and ladies convince her to attend, especially since Genji will be there as a main attraction for the crowds. While at the festival, however, the grooms for both Aoi’s carriages and the Rokujo Haven’s carriages compete for placement. Insulted her carriage has been pushed so far behind that she has difficulty getting out, the Rokujo Haven is also upset she has been recognized by the crowds.
After his appearance at the festival, Genji visits Murasaki, who is reported to be growing more ladylike every time he visits her. He helps cut her hair before leaving again for the festivities. Again, room for carriages at the Kamo festival is scarce, and a woman offers Genji her carriage space by flirting with him through writing on a bit of her torn-off fan and passing it along to him. He soon realizes it is the Dame of Staff, who is estimated to be about twenty years older than him. Genji is frustrated she has made such a bold move to reach out to him and be so close with him. Genji chides the Dame of Staff for drawing attention to them speaking and causing a stir in the midst of countless people. Meanwhile, the Rokujo Haven is even further heartbroken to learn of this flirtation between Genji and the Dame of Staff, as it’s another affair to add to Genji’s mounting list.
As Aoi’s pregnancy has progressed, there is now another added threat: a spirit (similar to the experience/spirit that killed Yugao) is now attacking Aoi, too, though it is much less violent, and, instead, more prolonged. Also similar to Yugao’s spirit attack, rumors begin again that the living spirit haunting Aoi belongs to the Rokujo Lady, due to her ongoing jealousy and rage towards Genji. While Genji is visiting a weakening Aoi, he is taken with deep sympathy for her, after years of bitterness. He tells her he believes she will get better, and Aoi does give birth to a healthy son, Yugiri. While the family is thrilled with the new baby, Aoi soon weakens and only becomes more ill, despite medicinal treatment. The spirit possession seems to worsen after she gives birth, and eventually she dies.
Genji is bereaved and mourns with her family. As is socially acceptable at the time, the new son stays at Aoi’s family’s house, and Genji leaves to return back to Nijo, where Murasaki lives. While he sends off a letter asking about his new son, he nonetheless stays at Nijo, spending time with Murasaki. At this time, Genji begins planning to formally marry Murasaki, and then have sexual relations with her for the first time, after several years living in his home.
Genji also learns that Oborozukiyo is still likely to be offered to His Majesty, even though Genji is aware she is still infatuated with him. Though he is disappointed he will likely lose the chance to further woo her, since the Kokiden Consort is dedicated to offer her to The Emperor and not Genji, he still has a realization: “He had learned, to his cost, the value of caution. Life is short enough as it is, he reflected, and besides, I have made my choice. I should never have provoked jealousy” (185). Despite his slowly-growing regret over his treatment of the women in his life, he still finds it difficult to release his attachment to Rokujo Haven. He enjoys talking with her and getting her opinion on matters, despite the rumors her spirit is the reason for both Yugao’s and Aoi’s deaths. She is increasingly resentful towards him as word circulates about his living situation with a young woman, whom the public will never learn is Murasaki.
As Genji is now formally (but privately) married to Murasaki and has had sexual relations with her as an acknowledged couple, he decides to finally inform her father that she is living with him and married. When Murasaki finally begins processing all of this information, however, Chapter 9 ends with her upset with Genji. As she treats him coldly, he complains to her that he is badly hurt by her attitude towards him after all he has done for her. New Year’s arrives soon after.
Chapters 7-9 Analysis
During the span of Chapters 7-9, Genji moves from his late teen years into his early twenties. These three chapters chronicle some of Genji’s most brazen, and ultimately hurtful, romantic exploits of the narrative. Because of the tale’s focus on his affairs during this age of his life, Shikubu’s narrative voice is even more clearly dialectic. As discussed earlier, the narrator explains Genji’s forceful and rampant sexual choices in an objective manner that seems to be serving two purposes: first, acknowledging Genji’s sexual aggression (regardless of the era of its writing) does openly describe the struggles and suffering of the female characters of the story. Still, as a narrator of her time would do for her hero and title character, Shikibu just as often follows-up with a defense of Genji’s beauty, sensitivity towards the individual women whom he woos, and his regrets. As the story’s plots become more complicated, however, this juxtaposition can become increasingly difficult conceptually for modern readers. Genji’s actions, by many modern readers’ standards, classify as rape, molestation, and abuse.
As an example, when Genji decides to force himself on Oborozukiyo, he commands of the woman: “‘I may do as I please, and calling for help will not save you. Just be still!’ She knew his voice and felt a little better. She did not want to seem cold or standoffish, despite her shock” (155). Shikibu’s narrator does not deny the emotions of the women whom Genji interacts. Rather, her narrator acknowledges the pain or difficulty Genji’s choices create, but then just as frequently reminds the reader of a reason the interaction can be pardoned: either the woman is honored to be chosen by Genji, or Genji’s substance of character is why he is worthy of instant forgiveness. Thus, readers of the time would have been encouraged to pardon him, too. After this segment of chapters, though, Genji’s youth begins to fade, and with it his affairs bring consequences.
Genji’s affairs reach some public notoriety when the Dame of Staff openly flirts with Genji between carriages during the Kamo Festival. The consequences of Genji’s nature are beginning to come back to haunt him: The Rokuji Haven is upset she has been both disrespected and recognized, dueto the lack of carriage space, and her rage with Genji’s flirtations grows. This, in turn, arguably accrues into a stronger “living spirit” attack against Genji’s pregnant wife, Aoi. Even though Aoi dies, and the Rokujo Haven seems displeased she was healthy enough to deliver her son, she does not wish death upon Aoi. Another surprising concept for modern (particularly Western) readers may be how the Rokujo Haven consciously has no ill will towards Aoi. Rather, it is just the wrathful elements of her soul, without her knowledge, wandering the earth. The spirit attacks can even potentially be interpreted not just as pure competition between the women, but rather (or additionally) a rage against the patriarchal constraints of their social norms and hierarchies.
There is also the formal, in-home marriage of Genji and Murasaki, who is estimated to be about 14-15 years old. Though Murasaki can never be publicly noted as a wife due to her social rank, Genji decides to finally inform her father of their relationship. It is also inferred at the end of the chapter that this marriage means Genji is now having sexual relations with Murasaki. The last lines of the chapter describe Murasaki as embittered towards Genji (for the moment). For the first time, she understands Genji initially took her from her childhood home and raised her with the intentions, from the start, of making her his sexual partner and wife.
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