Written by National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter Ikuko Kubota

Have you ever heard of “The Tale of Genji”?

It’s a famous classic work of Japanese literature written by the court lady named Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century. The tale has been loved by many people for over 1000 years up to today.

What’s the story about?

It’s about the life of Hikaru Genji, the son of an ancient emperor. The story concentrates on a good-looking hero, his romantic life, and describes the customs of the aristocratic society at that time.

Let’s enter the Tale of Genji Museum, Uji City.

The museum is located in Uji, Kyoto in which the last ten chapters of “The Tale of Genji” are mainly set. It recreates the world of “The Tale of Genji” with projected images, videos, models, and exhibitions. It was established in 1998 to store and collect materials related to “The Tale of Genji”.

Let’s travel back in time to the Heian period in the 11^th century.

A life-size oxen-drawn carriage is on display. It’s lovely, isn’t it?

The carriage represents the lives of glamorous Heian aristocrats. It was a symbol of wealth and power. Only the noble class were able to afford to keep several oxen, servants and own their carriages.

This is a scene from “The Tale of Genji”.

A man in the whitish attire is Genji, the hero. He is sneaking a peek at court ladies through a bamboo blind. Back then, noble ladies had to conceal themselves from the sight of men. However, in this way, a noble man could fall in love with a court lady.

Here you can also see “Shinden-zukuri” or the architectural style of aristocrat’s  residences. The residences in this style had basically no walls and bamboo blinds and screens were used to divide rooms. Those blinds and screens were very graceful that I am longing  for them.

The next photo is a scale model of the fictional mansion Rokujo-in of Genji. His ideal mansion is divided into four quarters. Each quarter was named Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter quarters. There are luxurious residences and beautiful gardens in their quarters according to the tastes of his ladies who lived in. How wonderful they were! Many wooden structures were connected with roofed corridors allowing the residents to come and go among these buildings.

Now, we’ll cross the mysterious bridge leading to Uji Room, the final stage of the Tale. Uji was the resort area for the aristocrats in those days.

The story of the Uji chapters is reproduced using a life-size set and projected images. The hero is Kaoru, a son of Genji.

Here Kaoru, just like his father, is sneaking a peek at noble ladies. The scene depicts the moment when Kaoru is falling in love with a noble lady, which is the beginning of the romance in Uji chapters. I’m getting thrilled about the future of their love.

As a culture, the noble ladies and gentlemen played traditional musical instruments. Here they are playing the Japanese harp on the left and the Japanese flute on the right. Try to imagine the beautiful sounds of their music.　In this museum, you can really feel the  graceful atmosphere of Heian era aristocrats.

In addition to this, an animated short film featuring the author, Murasaki Shikibu and other films featuring the story of the Uji chapters are screened daily in the movie room. By seeing the films, you can deepen your understanding of the world of “The Tale of Genji”.

In addition to this, an animated short film featuring the author, Murasaki Shikibu and other films featuring the story of the Uji chapters are screened daily in the movie room. By seeing the films, you can deepen your understanding of the world of “The Tale of Genji”.

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