The Tale of Genji

  Akashi no Kimi, Akashi no Nyūdōs daughter, the mother of Genji's daughter 5, 12, 13; the lady from Akashi, 14, 18, 25, 28, 35, 41; the lady at Ōi, 19; Akashi, 23, 33, 34, 40

  Akashi no Nyūdō, a former Governor of Harima, father of Akashi no Kimi The (Akashi) Novice, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 34

  Akikonomu, Rokujō no Miyasudokoro's daughter High Priestess of Ise, 9, 10, 14; Her Highness, the former Ise Priestess, the Ise Consort, 16; the Ise Consort, 19; the Ise Consort, Her Majesty, 21; Her Majesty, 24, 28, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 42

  Aoi, Genji's first wife, Sadaijin's daughter 1,2,5,7,9

  Asagao, Shikibukyō no Miya's daughter Daughter of His Highness of Ceremonial, 2; the lady of the bluebells, Her Highness, 9; the lady of the bluebells, the High Priestess of the Kamo Shrine, 10; Her Highness, the Former Kamo Priestess, 20, 21, 32

  Chūjō, the son-in-law of Yokawa no Sōzu's sister The Captain, 53

  Chūjō no Kimi, Ukifune's mother, Hitachi no Kami's wife 49, 50, 51, 52

  Dazai no Shōni, husband of Yūgao's nurse The Dazaifu Assistant, 22

  Fujitsubo, Kiritsubo no Mikado's Empress, Reizei's mother Daughter of an earlier Emperor, 1; Her Highness, 5; Her Highness, then Her Majesty, 7; Her Majesty, 8, 9; Her Majesty, then Her Cloistered Eminence, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19; a dream phantom, 20

  Genji (Birth through 12), 1; a Captain in the Palace Guards, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; a Captain in the Palace Guards, then a Consultant, 7; a Consultant, 8; the Commander of the Right, 9, 10, 11; no rank, 12; no rank, then promoted to Acting Grand Counselor, 13; becomes Palace Minister, 14; the Commander, then the Acting Grand Counselor, 15; the Palace Minister, 16, 17; His Grace, the Palace Minister, 18, 19, 20; His Grace, the Chancellor, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32; His Grace, the Chancellor, then the Honorary Retired Emperor, 33; His Grace, the Honorary Retired Emperor, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41

  Gen no Naishi, a randy old woman The Dame of Staff, 7, 9; the former Dame of Staff, 20

  Gentlewomen, nurses, page girls Ateki (serves Aoi), 9, Ateki, later called Hyōbu (daughter of Dazai no Daini; serves Tamakazura), 22, 24; Azechi (serves Onna San no Miya), 49; Ben (Shōnagon's daughter; serves Murasaki), 9; Ben (serves Fujitsubo), 10; Ben (serves Ōigimi and Naka no Kimi, then a nun), 45, 46, 47, (as a nun) 48, 49, 50, 51, 52; Ben (serves Empress), 52; Chūjō (serves Utsusemi), 2; Chūjō (serves Rokujō no Miyasudokoro), 4; Chūjō (serves Asagao), 10; Chūjō (serves Genji, then Murasaki, then Genji), 12, 19, 23, 41; Chūjō (serves Higekuro's first wife), 31; Chūjō (serves Tamakazura's elder daughter), 44; Chūjō (serves Onna Ichi no Miya), 52; Chūnagon (serves Sadaijin), 2, 9, 12; Chūnagon (serves Oborozukiyo), 10, 12, 34; Chūnagon (serves Kokiden no Nyōgo II), 26; Dainagon (serves Onna Ichi no Miya), 52; Gosechi (serves Ōmi no Kimi ), 26; Inuki (serves Murasaki), 5; Jijū (serves Suetsumuhana, also her foster sister), 6, 15; Jijū (serves Ukifune), 50, 51, 52; Kojijō (serves Onna San no Miya, also her foster sister), 34, 35, 36; Komoki (serves Ukifune), 53; Koshōshō (serves Ochiba no Miya), 39; Kozaishō (Kaoru's lover, serves Onna Ichi no Miya), 52, 53; Miruko (serves Tamakazura), 24; Miya no Kimi (serves Empress), 52; Moku (serves Higekuro), 31; Nakatsukasa (serves Sadaijin), 2, 6; Nakatsukasa (serves Genji), 12, 35; Nareki (serves Tamakazura's elder daughter), 44; Nurse (Akashi no Himegimi's), 14, 18, 19; Nurse (Yūgao's), 22; Nurse (Onna San no Miya's), 34; Nurse (Ukifune's), 50, 51, 52, 53; Omyōbu (serves Fujitsubo), 5, 7, 10, 12; Saemon (serves Yokawa no Sōzu's sister, as a nun), 53; Saishō (Yūgiri's nurse), 12, 21, 33; Saishō (serves Tamakazura), 24, 30, 44; Sanjō (serves Tamakazura), 22; Senji (serves Asagao), 20, 21; Shōnagon (serves Murasaki), 4, 7, 9, 10, 12; Shōshō (serves Suetsumuhana), 15; Shōshō (serves Naka no Kimi), 49, 50, 51; Shōshō (serves Yokawa no Sōzu's sister, as a nun), 53; Taifu (serves Suetsumuhana), 6; Taifu (Kumoi no Kari's nurse), 33; Taifu (serves Tamakazura's younger daughter), 44; Taifu (serves Naka no Kimi), 48, 49, 50; Ukon (Yūgao's nurse, then serves Murasaki), 4, 22; Ukon (serves Naka no Kimi, also Taifu's daughter), 50, 51; Ukon (serves Ukifune at Uji, a daughter of Ukifune's nurse), 52; Yugei no Myōbu (serves Kiritsubo no Mikado),1

  Gosechi, a young woman favored by Genji The Gosechi Dancer, 12, 13, 14

  Hachi no Miya, Genji and Suzaku's half brother His Highness, the Eighth Prince, 45, 46

  Hanachirusato Younger sister of the Reikeiden Consort, 11; the lady of the falling flowers, 12, 14; the lady of the village of falling flowers, 13; the lady of Falling Flowers, 18, 40; the lady in Genji's east pavilion, 19; the lady of the northeast quarter of Rokujō, the lady of summer, 22; the lady in/of the northeast quarter, 23, 25, 28, 39; the lady of summer, mistress of the northeast quarter, 35; the lady of summer, 41

  Higekuro, Tamakazura's husband The Commander (of the Right), 24, 29, 30, 31; the Left Commander, then Minster of the Right, 35

  Hitachi no Kami, Chūjō no Kimi's husband, Ukifune's stepfather The Governor of Hitachi, 50, 52

  Hotaru, Genji's half brother His Highness, the Viceroy Prince (Sochi no Miya), 12, 17; His Highness of War (Hyōbukyō no Miya), 21, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 41

  Hyōbukyō no Miya, Fujitsubo's elder brother, Murasaki's father; becomes Shikibukyō no Miya His Highness of War, His Highness, 1, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17; the Lord of Ceremonial, 21; His Highness of Ceremonial, 31, 34, 35

  Hyōtōda, Dazai no Shōni's eldest son The Bungo Deputy, 22

  Ichijō no Miyasudokoro, Ochiba no Miya's mother The Haven, 35, 36, 37, 39

  Iyo no Suke, father of Ki no Kami I, Utsusemi's husband, later Hitachi no Suke The Iyo Deputy, 2, 4; the Deputy Governor of Hitachi, 16

  Kaoru, son of Onna San no Miya and Kashiwagi (Born), 36; the little boy, 37; the Consultant Captain, 42; the Minamoto Counselor, 43; the Minamoto Adviser, then Consultant Captain, then Counselor, 44; the Consultant Captain, 45; the Consultant Captain, then Counselor, 46; the Counselor, 47, 48; the Counselor, then the Commander, 49; the Commander, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54

  Kashiwagi, Tō no Chūjō's eldest son The Captain, 24, 29; the Right Captain, 25, 26; the Secretary Captain, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33; the Intendant of the Right Gate Watch, 34; the Intendant of the Right Gate Watch, then also Counselor, 35; the Intendant of the Right Gate Watch, then Acting Grand Counselor, 36 (as a phantom), 37

  Kinjō, “the reigning Emperor” (unnamed) after Reizei, son of Suzaku and the Shōkyōden Consort The Shōkyōden Prince, named Heir Apparent, 14; His Highness, the Heir Apparent, 32, 34; His Highness, the Heir Apparent, then His Majesty, the Emperor, 35; His Majesty, 36, 42, 44, 45, 49

  Ki no Kami I, the Governor of Kii, then of Kawachi; Utsusemi's stepson The Governor of Kii 2; the Governor of Kawachi, 16

  Ki no Kami II, grandson of Yokawa no Sōzu's mother The Governor of Kii, 53

  Kiritsubo no Kōi, Genji's mother The Kiritsubo Intimate, the Haven, 1

  Kiritsubo no Mikado, the Kiritsubo Emperor, Genji's father His Majesty, 1, 2, 7, 8; His Eminence (the Retired Emperor), 9; His Eminence, His Late Eminence, 10; His Late Eminence, 12, 13, 14

  Kōbai, Tō no Chūjō's second son 10, 14; the Controller Lieutenant, 23, 26, 27, 29, 32, 33; the Inspector Grand Counselor, 43, 49; the Grand Counselor, then Minister of the Right, 44

  Kogimi I, Utsusemi's younger brother 2, 3; the Second of the Right Gate Watch, 16

  Kogimi II, Ukifune's younger half brother 54

  Kokiden no Nyōgo I, Udaijin's daughter, Suzaku's mother The Kokiden Consort, 1, 7, 8, 9, 10; the Empress Mother, 13, 14; Her Majesty, the Empress Mother, 21

  Kokiden no Nyōgo II, Tō no Chūj's daughter, Reizei's Consort The (Kokiden) Consort, 14, 17, 21, 26, 29, 44

  Koremitsu, Genji's foster brother and confidant Koremitsu, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 18; the Commissioner of Civil Affairs, 12; the Governor of Tsu and Left City Commissioner, 21

  Kumoi no Kari, Tō no Chūjōs daughter, later Yūgiri's wife 21, 26, 28, 32; the young lady, 33; the Commanders wife, 37, 39, 44

  Kurōdo no Shōshō, son of Yūgiri and Kumoi no Kari The Chamberlain Lieutenant, then Third Rank Captain, then Con
sultant, 44

  Makibashira, Higekuro's daughter, later Kōbai's wife 31; the daughter of the Left Commander, 35; Kōbai's wife, 43, 44

  Makibashira's daughter, by Hotaru Her Highness, 43

  Michisada, Niou's retainer The Chief Clerk and Deputy Commissioner of Ceremonial, 51

  Murasaki A little girl, 5, 6; Genji's young lady, 7, 8, 9; the mistress of Genji's west wing, 10, 12, 21; Genji's lady at Nijō, 13, 14; Genji's lady, 18, 22, 23, 25, 29; the lady in Genji's west wing, 19, 20; Genji's love, 23; the mistress of the southeast quarter, 24, 28, 29, 32; the lady of spring, 31; the mistress of Genji's east wing, 33; the mistress of the east wing, 34, 35; Lady Murasaki, 35, 39, 40

  Naishi no Suke, Koremitsu's daughter A Gosechi dancer, 21; the Fujiwara Dame of Staff, 33; the Dame of Staff, 39

  Nakanobu, Kaoru's retainer, Michisada's father-in-law Nakanobu, the Treasury Commissioner, 51, 52

  Naka no Kimi, second daughter of Hachi no Miya, eventually wife of Niou 45, 46, 47, 48; the lady in the wing at Nijō, 49; the wife of His Highness of War, 50; Her Highness, the wife of His Highness of War, 51, 52

  Niou, Akashi no Himegimi's son, Murasaki's favorite, Naka no Kimi's husband, Ukifune's lover His Highness, the Third Prince, 37, 40, 41; His Highness of the Bureau of War, His Highness of War, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52

  Nokiba no Ogi, Ki no Kami's sister, Iyo no Suke's daughter The lady from the west wing, 3; the daughter of the Iyo Deputy, 4

  Oborozukiyo, Udaijin's sixth daughter, sister of Kokiden no Nyōgo I The lady of the misty moon, 8; the Mistress of the Wardrobe, 9; the Mistress of the Wardrobe, then the Mistress of Staff, 10; the Mistress of Staff, 12, 14, 21, 34; the Nijō Mistress of Staff, 35

  Ochiba no Miya, Suzaku's second daughter, Roku no Kimi's adoptive mother Her Highness, the Second Princess, 35, 36, 37; Her Highness at/of Ichijō, 39, 42; Her Highness, 49

  Ōigimi, Hachi no Miya's elder daughter 45, 46; Her Highness, 47

  Ōmi no Kimi, Tō no Chūjō's lost daughter 26; the girl from Omi, 29, 31

  Omiya, Kiritsubo no Mikado's sister, Sadaijin's wife, Aoi and Tō no Chūjō's mother, Yūgiri and Kumoi no Kari's grandmother The Princess, 1; Her Highness, 9, 12, 28, 29; Her Highness, the Third Princess, 21

  Onna Go no Miya, Asagao's aunt Her Highness, the Fifth Princess, 20, 21

  Onna Ichi no Miya, daughter of Reizei and the Kokiden Consort II His Eminence's daughter, 42; the First Princess, 52

  Onna Ni no Miya, Kaoru's wife, daughter of Kinjō and the Fujitsubo Consort Her Highness, the Second Princess, 49, 52

  Onna San no Miya, Suzaku's favorite daughter, Genji's wife, Kaoru's mother Her Highness, the Third Princess, 34, 35; Her Highness, the Third Princess, Her Cloisered Highness, 36; Her Cloistered Highness, the Third Princess, 37, 38, 41, 42, 45, 49

  Reizei, Emperor, son of Genji and Fujitsubo (Born), 7; the Heir Apparent, 9, 10, 12, 13; His Highness, the Heir Apparent, then His Majesty, 14; His Majesty, 17, 18, 19, 21, 29, 31, 33, 34; His Majesty, then His Eminence, Retired Emperor, 35; His Eminence, 38, 44, 45

  Risshi His Reverence, the Master of Discipline, 39

  Rokujō no Miyasudokoro, widow of a former Heir Apparent The Rokujō Haven, 4, 9, 10, 12, 14; (as a spirit), 35, 36

  Roku no Kimi, Yūgiri's sixth daughter (by Koremitsu's daughter), later Niou's wife His Excellency's sixth daughter, 42, 49

  Sachūben, Onna San no Miya's retainer, also serves Genji The Left Controller, 34

  Sadaijin, the Minister of the Left (resigns), then Chancellor; Aoi's father His Excellency, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; (resigns), 12, 14; becomes Chancellor, 19

  Sakon no Shōshō, marries Hitachi no Kami's favorite daughter The Lieutenant of the Left Palace Guards, 50

  Shikibukyō no Miya, Asagao's father His Highness of Ceremonial, 9, 19

  Shi no Kimi, Tō no Chūjō's wife, Kashiwagi's mother 4, 35, 36

  Suetsumuhana, daughter of the Hitachi Prince Her Highness, daughter of His Highness of Hitachi, 6, 15; the safflower, 22; Her Highness of Hitachi, 23

  Suetsumuhana's aunt 15

  Suzaku, Emperor, then Retired Emperor; Kiritsubo no Mikado's eldest son Appointed Heir Apparent, 1; the Heir Apparent, 7, 8; His Majesty, 10, 12, 13; His Majesty, the Emperor, then His Eminence, 14; His Eminence, 17, 21, 33, 34; His Cloistered Eminence, 35, 36, 37, 39

  Taifu no Gen, pursues Tamakazura in Tsukushi The Audit Commissioner, 22

  Tamakazura, Yūgao and Tō no Chūjō's daughter, later Higekuro's wife The pink, 4; the young lady, 22; the (young) lady in the west wing, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29; the lady, 30; the Mistress of Staff, 31, 34, 35, 44

  Tamakazura's daughters The Haven (the elder), the Mistress of Staff (the younger), 44

  Tamakazura's sons The Left Palace Guards Captain, the Right Controller, the Fujiwara Adviser, 44

  Tokikata, Niou's retainer The Deputy Governor of Izumo, 51, 52

  Tō no Chūjō, the Minister of the Left's eldest son, Aoi's brother The Chamberlain Lieutenant, 1; the Secretary Captain, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; the Third Rank Captain, 9; the Captain, 9, 10; the Captain, also appointed a Consultant, 12; the Consultant Captain, then the Acting Counselor, 14; the Acting Counselor, 17; the Acting Counselor, then Grand Counselor and Commander of the Right, 19; the Commander, then His Excellency, the Palace Minister, 21; His Excellency, the Palace Minister, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32; His Excellency, the Palace Minister, then Chancellor, 33; His Excellency, the Chancellor, 34; His Excellency, the Chancellor, then His Retired Excellency, 35; His Retired Excellency, 36, 37; His Excellency, 39, 40

  Udaijin, the Minister of the Right, then Chancellor; father of Kokiden no Nyōgo I, Suzaku's grandfather The Minister of the Right, 1, 9, 10; the Minister of the Right, His Excellency, 8, 12; the Chancellor, 13

  Uji no Ajari, Hachi no Miya's spiritual adviser The Adept, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49; the Master of Discipline, 52

  Ukifune, Hachi no Miya's unrecognized daughter A young woman, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54

  Utsusemi, stepmother of Ki no Kami I, the Iyo Deputy's wife 2, 3; the lady of the cicada shell, 4, 16; the cicada shell, 23

  Yamato no Kami, Ochiba no Miya's cousin and Koshōshō's brother The Governor of Yamato, 39

  Yoshikiyo, Genji's retainer, son of the Governor of Harima 5; Yoshikiyo, 8, 12; the Minamoto Junior Counselor, 13; the Governor of Ōmi, 21

  Yokawa no Sōzu His Reverence, the Prelate of Yokawa, 53, 54

  Yokawa no Sōzu's mother An old nun, 51, 53, 54

  Yokawa no Sōzu's sister A nun, 51, 53

  Yūgao, mother of Tamakazura 4

  Yūggiri, son of Genji and Aoi (Born), 9, 12, 14; a student at the Academy, the Adviser, 21; the Captain, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29; the Consultant Captain, 30, 31, 32; the Consultant Captain, then Counselor, 33; the Counselor, then Right Commander, 34; the Right Commander, then also Grand Counselor, 35; the Right Commander, 36; the Commander, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41; His Excellency, the Minister of the Right, the Commander of the Left Palace Guards, 42; His Excellency, the Minister of the Right, 43; His Excellency, the Minister of the Right, then of the Left, 44; His Excellency, the Minister of the Right, 47, 48, 49, 51

  Further Reading

  Bargen, Doris. A Woman's Weapon: Spirit Possession in “The Tale of Genji.” Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1997.

  Bowring, Richard. Murasaki Shikibu: “The Tale of Genji.” Landmarks of World Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.

  ———, trans. The Diary of Lady Murasaki. New York: Penguin, 1999.

  Childs, Margaret H. “The Value of Vulnerability: Sexual Coercion and the Nature of Love in Japanese Court Literature.” Journal of Asian Studies 58:4 (November 1999).

  Dalby, Liza. “The Cultured Nature of Heian Colors.” Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, 4th series, vol. 3 (1988).

  Field, Norma. The Splendor of Longing in “The Tale of Genji.” Princeton Princeton University Press, 1987.

  Gatten, Aileen. “The Order of the Early Chapters in the Genji monogatari.”
Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 41:1 (June 1981).

  Kamens, Edward, ed. Approaches to Teaching Murasaki Shikibu's “The Tale of Genji.” New York: Modern Language Association, 1993.

  Keene, Donald. Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the Late Sixteenth Century. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993.

  Konishi, Jin'ichi. A History of Japanese Literature, Vol. 2, The Early Middle Ages. Translated by Aileen Gatten. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984.

  McCullough, William H. “Japanese Marriage Institutions in the Heian Period.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 27 (1967).

  McCullough, William H., and Helen Craig McCullough, trans. A Tale of Flowering Fortunes: Annals of Japanese Aristocratic Life in the Heian Period. 2 vols. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1980.

  Miner, Earl. “Some Thematic and Structural Features of the Genji Monogatari.” Monumenta Nipponica 24:1 (1969).

  Morris, Ivan. The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan. Various editions.

  Nickerson, Peter. “The Meaning of Matrilocality: Kinship, Property, and Politics in Mid-Heian.” Monumenta Nipponica 48:4 (1993).

  Okada, Richard H. Figures of Resistance: Language, Poetry, and Narrating in “The Tale of Genji” and Other Mid-Heian Texts. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1992.

  Pekarik, Andrew, ed. Ukifune: Love in “The Tale of Genji.” New York: Columbia University Press, 1982

  Pollack, David. “The Informing Image: ‘China’ in Genji monogatari.” Monumenta Nipponica 38:4 (1983).

  Rowley, G. G. Yosano Akiko and “The Tale of Genji.” Ann Arbor: Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan, 2000.

  Seidensticker, Edward, trans. The Tale of Genji. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976.

  Shirane, Haruo. The Bridge of Dreams: A Poetics of “The Tale of Genji.” Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1987.