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Summary
Chapter 1: The Chamber of Kiri
The story of Genji begins with his mother, the beautiful Lady Kiri-Tsubo, and his father, the Emperor. Lady Kiri-Tsubo is the emperor’s favorite mistress, and his attention and affection brings her great joy, but also pain. She does not come from a powerful family, so people at court attack her, often mercilessly, and she lacks the resources to adequately defend herself. Her son, Prince Genji, is a beautiful child, so perfect that rumors spread that the Emperor will name him as the Heir Apparent, next in line to be emperor. Chief amongst those jealous of Kiri-Tsubo is the Lady Koki-den, another of the Emperor’s mistresses, who wants her own son to be the Heir Apparent. Her jealousy inspires petty and cruel attacks on Kiri-Tsubo, who wilts under the relentless assaults, sickens, and eventually dies.
Genji goes to live with his grief-stricken grandmother, as is customary, but his father, also despairing, longs for his son’s return. He writes, begging that his son be sent back to the palace and even sends a messenger to request his son be sent to the palace. The grandmother is too distraught to fully contemplate a change, but her death allows Genji to relocate permanently to the imperial palace, where his father oversees his education. Genji excels, particularly in music and art. His talents continue to cause Lady Koki-den anxiety that her son will be passed over.
When Genji is nine, a Korean ambassador visits the palace. He is gifted in the art of predicting a person’s future from their physiognomy, so the emperor disguises Genji as the son of his tutor to get an accurate assessment of his son’s future. The ambassador remarks on Genji’s exceptional traits, noting that his physiognomy suggests he could ascend to a high position in the state. If this were to happen, he notes, his reign would be full of misfortune. Should he not attain such public notice, he could have a different future. When Genji comes of age, he is assigned membership in a nonroyal clan. Lady Koki-den is relieved when her son is formally named Heir Apparent. Although some in the court wonder if his youthful beauty will diminish as he ages, the opposite proves true when Genji becomes increasingly handsome as a teen.
The Emperor is encouraged to become interested in a young woman—Lady Wistaria—who resembles his beloved Lady Kiri-Tsubo, both in her character and beauty. Because of Kiri-Tsubo’s fate, however, Wistaria’s family is opposed to any alliance. A death in her family, however, makes Lady Wistaria more available to the Emperor’s attentions. His new consort has more powerful connections and is thus better able to prevent members of the court from attacking her. Because she is said to resemble his mother, Genji also finds Lady Wistaria comforting. It is arranged that Genji, approximately twelve, will marry Princess Aoi, the daughter of the Minister of the Left, a marriage that will cement his status at court.
Analysis
Genji’s story begins with love and sadness. His mother, Kiri-Tsubo, suffers cruelly for her beauty and accomplishments, and her eventual death sends his father into inconsolable despair and drives his grandmother to her demise. This loss will determine the course of his life, and it will have an especially strong influence on his concept of the "ideal" woman. At the same time, the particular mixture of feelings which dominate the opening chapter, exemplified by the lovely Kiri-Tsubo, is especially important to the world depicted in the novel. Melancholy and sadness affects much of what the characters will feel and express. Dignity in suffering, particularly when the suffering is caused by unwarranted attacks, is a recurrent element in The Tale of Genji. In this emotion, too, certain cultural priorities of Heian-era Japan are introduced. The world of the novel prizes subtlety and nuance.
In its representation of the relations between the genders, the opening chapter likewise sets the stage for much of the action in the novel. Rules and expectations may determine the behavior of women but this does not mean they cannot accrue and wield significant power. Not even the Emperor himself can stop Lady Koki-den from encouraging members of the court to attack Kiri-Tsubo. Her servants are harassed, her silks are muddied, and whispers and sneers follow her down the hall. There may not be military battles in The Tale of Genji, but there is warfare—and Lady Koki-den wins when these tactics harass Kiri-Tsubo to death. Beauty, intelligence, and the possibility of producing children may be important to a woman’s success, but her family connections are crucial to determining her future. Lady Koki-den cannot employ similar tactics against Lady Wistaria, who has a formidable family in her corner. The way different kinds of feminine and masculine power are wielded is an important feature across the novel.
As they exchange poems and share their feelings, the relationship between the Emperor and Kiri-Tsubo shows readers how lovers communicate at the imperial court and the definition of masculine power. The use of poetry is particularly important between lovers. Even on her deathbed, Kiri-Tsubo uses poetry to comfort the Emperor. Nor does he hesitate to use it to express his profound despair at her death. There is a sign, here, that men in the imperial court were not expected to hide their feelings, even if hints are made that the Emperor’s subsequent neglect of his (never described) duties is unusual. When the Emperor then takes Genji into his household, personally overseeing his education, readers see another aspect of masculinity in the period. At the outset of the novel, as through its following chapters, the acceptable norms of masculine behavior during the period are carefully detailed.
Finally, the reader receives a first introduction to the novel’s hero in this opening chapter. Although little access is provided yet to his thoughts, his exceptional beauty is repeatedly stressed, as are his talents in the arts and his intelligence. Critics sometimes observe that the use of the Korean ambassador to underscore Genji’s exceptional qualities is formulaic, but the judgment of a person external to the court establishes that the description is no mere propaganda—Genji’s extraordinary nature transcends local bias.
