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Summary
Chapters 9: Hollyhock
The Emperor has abdicated the throne at the beginning of the chapter. The Heir Apparent becomes Emperor, although his father remains at court and thus retains much power. Lady Wistaria’s son is the new Heir Apparent and Genji is appointed his guardian. This is not the only official guardian role in Genji’s future. His wife Aoi is pregnant, which means Genji has even less time to spend with the Lady of Rojukō. His father chides him for ignoring her, given how important her family connections are. And it soon turns out that Genji was mistaken to not be more attentive to his lover. Lady Aoi decides at the last minute to attend a festival where Genji will perform. As her servants move her carriage into a good position, they damage another carriage, which belongs to Rojukō. After this conflict, Aoi’s health declines and there is talk that she might be possessed by a spirit. Some blame Rojukō and her dreams suggest she might be at fault.
Aoi’s illness and pregnancy increase Genji’s fondness for her, although he cannot believe that the Lady of Rojukō could be at fault. As he attends his wife, however, he hears Rojukō’s voice, confirming her culpability. Aoi delivers a healthy baby boy and all seems well. A few days after the birth, though, she once again falls ill and she dies. The entire court, including Genji, mourns her death. He goes into seclusion, accompanied only by Tō-no-Chūjō. When he emerges, Genji turns his attentions to Violet. He has decided to make her his wife. She had not expected this to happen and is uneasy and upset; other translations suggest that he assaults her more directly. Together with Koremitsu, Genji plans to consummate his relationship with Violet, who is unhappy.
Chapter 10: Divine Tree
Upset by Genji’s indifference to her, the Lady of Rojukō decides to join her daughter as a Saigū priestess at Ise, a Shinto temple. Genji tries to convince her not to make this change, but his influence has declined and she ignores his wishes. Genji’s father, the former Emperor, has died and power at the palace is now centered in the family of the Lady Koki-den and the Minister of the Right. Lady Wistaria also decides to take religious vows and becomes a Buddhist nun, in part to avoid Genji. He leaves love notes for both Wistaria and Rojukō on a tree.
Genji focuses more attention on Violet but also pursues the humming lady again, and is caught in bed with her by the Minister of the Right. He and Lady Koki-den, vengeful and sagacious, plot Genji’s fall. The new Emperor is more subdued than his mother but is easily swayed by her wishes.
Chapter 11: Villa of Falling Flowers
In this very short chapter, Genji turns his attention to a woman, Reikei-den-no-Nyōgo, who was one of his father’s mistresses, and her sister. They are cut off from court and live in very straightened circumstances, abandoned since the Emperor’s death. Genji supports and visits them, even though his own situation is unstable. The narrator asserts that this is an episode that explains why people love Genji once they know him.
Analysis
Changing structures of power at the court organize these chapters. The abdication of the Emperor undoubtedly introduces important political shifts, although this goes unremarked in The Tale of Genji. What is indicated, however, is how the change of emperors realigns structures of influence at the palace. The abdication, and then death, of Genji’s father diminishes both Genji’s power and the protection his connections had afforded him, leaving him increasingly vulnerable and alone. His marriage to Lady Aoi had provided him with some security, so her death is a blow both in terms of his security and his personal life. The birth of a son makes this precariousness even more upsetting. In the court’s elaborate mourning, in which Genji fully participates, her importance is belatedly established. Genji’s power is shifted with the shift at court.
Genji’s increasing isolation is deepened by the decisions of other women in his life. Both Lady Wistaria and the Lady of Rojukō decide to leave capital, embracing a religious vocation instead of the busy life of a member of the imperial court. These departures compound the sadness he experiences at the death of Lady Aoi. In other words, Genji loses all three of the women who supported his transition into adulthood. If the narrative obscurity of the novel elsewhere serves to convey the excitement of courtship, here it instead stresses how unmoored Genji has become as all of his sources of stability are removed.
In these chapters, religion supports the plot in important ways. This is not the first time that religion is key. After Yūgao died, Genji’s exposure to death required a ritual of purification. The idea that death was a pollutant is a fundamental tenet of the Shinto religion, native to Japan. Yet Buddhism is an equally important religious tradition in the novel. Not only do characters like Lady Wistaria embrace its tenets, but scholars have also pointed out that Genji first sees Violet while visiting with a Buddhist ascetic, a connection which suggests that this is a match that has divine favor. The cosmopolitan nature of the imperial court is underscored in its accommodation of multiple religious traditions.
While ideas about consent and age of maturity at the time of this book's publication differed greatly from ours, Genji’s actions with Violet will no doubt present a challenge for twenty-first century readers. It's not entirely clear how Violet she is when Genji "consummates" their relationship, but even so, his actions can be considered problematic at best and abhorrent at worst. Given his insistence that she stop playing with dolls, she is obviously still immature in the terms of the novel as well. Murasaki notes Violet's surprise and unease at Genji's new expectations of her, suggesting some sympathy on her part for the plight of Violet. Given that Violet is under his control, Genji’s manipulations are immensely disturbing. The inclusion of a chapter that seems designed primarily to remind readers that Genji was very likeable to the court may likewise speak to some authorial misgivings.
