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Sept. 3-Dec. 17: The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

(9.3,17; 10.1,15,29; 11.12, 19; 12.3,17)

6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, Simms Library

To register, contact Mr. Himwich

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The opening paragraph from the translations of Waley, Tyler, Washburn, and Seidensticker 

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The opening paragraph from the translations of Waley, Tyler, Washburn, and Seidensticker 

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Masao Miyoshi on challenges that face a translator of The Tale of Genji.

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Masao Miyoshi on challenges that face a translator of The Tale of Genji.

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Classical Japanese frequently leaves unstated what English ordinarily requires a writer to specify:

the grammatical subject;

the identity or gender of a speaker;

the antecedent of a pronoun;

the precise connection between successive sentences;

the boundary between a character’s thought and the narrator’s observation;

sometimes even whether an action is remembered, imagined, reported, or directly witnessed.

The reader must infer these things from courtly conventions, honorifics, shifts of diction, poetic allusions, and the surrounding emotional atmosphere. Because those indications are not always conclusive, a certain indeterminacy remains, e.g., a mobile and sometimes uncertain point of view.

Masao Miyoshi relates Murasaki’s style to that Virginia Woolf.

·  thought passing almost imperceptibly into narration;

·  consciousness dispersed through a scene rather than assigned to a single speaker;

·  emotional meanings carried by light, weather, scent, clothing, music, and remembered poetry;

·  transitions governed by association rather than explicit explanation.

Miyoshi does not review Tyler's translation, but it is clear that Tyler has tried to address some of these issues.

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Lady Murasaki calls this story "the ancestor of all romances."

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"The Receding Princess" from The Japanese Fairy Book, 1908

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a monogatari (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the monogatari form.

The story details the life of Kaguya-hime, a princess from the Moon who is discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant. After she grows, her beauty attracts five suitors seeking her hand in marriage, whom she turns away by challenging them each with an impossible task; she later attracts the affection of the Emperor of Japan. At the tale's end, Kaguya-hime reveals her celestial origins and returns to the Moon. The story is also known as The Tale of Princess Kaguya, after its protagonist.

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest surviving monogatari, though its exact date of composition is unknown. The oldest surviving manuscript is dated to 1592. A poem in the Yamato Monogatari, a 10th-century work that describes life in the imperial court, invokes the tale in reference to a Moon-viewing party held at the palace in 909. A mention of smoke rising from Mount Fuji in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter suggests that the volcano was still active at the time of its composition; the Kokin Wakashū indicates that the mountain had stopped emitting smoke by 905. Other sources suggest the tale was written between 871 and 881.

The author of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is also unknown, and scholars have variously attributed the work to Minamoto no Shitagō (911-983), to the Abbot Henjō, to a member of the Inbe clan, to a member of a political faction opposed to Emperor Tenmu, and to the kanshi poet Ki no Haseo (842-912). It is also debated whether the tale was written by one person or a group of people, and whether it was written in kanbun, Japanese kana, or even Chinese.

Taketori no Okina takes Kaguya-hime to his home, painting c. 1650

One day in the bamboo forest, an old bamboo cutter called Taketori no Okina (, "old bamboo harvester") comes across a mysterious, shining stalk of bamboo. Upon cutting it open, he is surprised to find an infant the size of his thumb inside. The old man and his wife, having no children of their own, decide to raise the infant as their own daughter, and name her Nayotake-no-Kaguya-hime (, "Shining Princess of the Young Bamboo"). From that moment on, every time the man cuts a stalk of bamboo, he finds a small nugget of gold inside. The family soon grows rich, and within just three months, Kaguya-hime grows from an infant into a woman of ordinary size and extraordinary beauty. At first, the old man tries to keep news of Kaguya-hime away from outsiders, but as word of her beauty spreads, she attracts many suitors who seek her hand in marriage.

Discovery of Kaguya-hime, late 17th century depiction

Among the suitors are five nobles: Prince Ishitsukuri, Prince Kuramochi, the Minister of the Right Abe no Miushi, the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Miyuki, and the Middle Counselor Isonokami no Marotari. They eventually persuade the old man to have Kaguya-hime choose from among them. Uninterested, Kaguya-hime devises five impossible tasks, agreeing to marry the noble who can bring her the item specified for him: the stone begging bowl of the Buddha, a jeweled branch from the mythical island of Hōrai, a robe of Chinese fire-rat skins, a colored jewel from a dragon's neck, and a cowry shell born from a swallow.

Realizing the impossibility of his task, the first noble presents a fake stone bowl made from a blackened pot, but is exposed when Kaguya-hime notices that the bowl does not glow with holy light. The second noble presents a branch created by the country's finest jewelers, but is revealed when a messenger of the craftsmen arrives at Kaguya-hime's house to collect payment. The third noble is deceived by a merchant from China, who sells him a robe that burns when it is tested with fire. The fourth noble sets out to find a dragon at sea, but abandons his plans after encountering a storm. The fifth noble falls from a great height while reaching into a swallow's nest.

After this, the Emperor of Japan comes to visit Kaguya-hime and, after falling in love, asks her hand in marriage. Although he is not subjected to an impossible trial, Kaguya-hime rejects his request for marriage as well, telling him that she is not from his country and therefore cannot go to the palace with him. She remains in contact with the Emperor, but continues to rebuff his proposals. Three years pass as they continue to communicate by letter.

That summer, whenever Kaguya-hime views the full moon, her eyes fill with tears. Though her adoptive parents grow very worried and question her, she refuses to tell them what is wrong. Her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic until she reveals that she is not of the Earth and that she must return to her people on the Moon. It is said that she was sent to the Earth, where she would inevitably form material attachment, as a punishment for some crime without further description. The gold was a stipend from the people of the Moon, sent to pay for Kaguya-hime's upkeep.

Heavenly beings descend, depiction c. 1650

As the day of her return approaches, the Emperor sends his guards to protect her from the Moon's people, but when an embassy of heavenly beings descends upon the bamboo cutter's house, the guards are blinded by a strange light. Kaguya-hime announces that, though she loves her many friends on Earth, she must return with the beings to her true home on the Moon. She writes sad notes of apology to her parents and to the Emperor, then gives her parents her own robe as a memento. She then takes a little of the elixir of immortality, attaches it to her letter to the Emperor, and gives it to the guard officer. As she hands it to him, a feather robe is placed on her shoulders, and all of her sadness and compassion for the people of the Earth are apparently forgotten. The entourage ascends into the sky, taking Kaguya-hime back to Tsuki no Miyako (, "the Capital of the Moon") and leaving her earthly foster parents in tears.

Princess Kaguya returns to the Moon. 1888 print by Yoshitoshi.

The old couple become very sad and are soon put to bed sick. The officer returns to the Emperor with the items Kaguya-hime gave him as her last mortal act, and reports what happened. The Emperor reads her letter and is overcome with sadness, and asks his servants, "Which mountain is the closest place to Heaven?"; in response, one suggests the Great Mountain of Suruga Province. The Emperor then orders his men to take the letter to the summit of the mountain and burn it, in the hope that his message would reach the distant princess. They are also ordered to burn the elixir of immortality, as the Emperor does not wish to live for eternity without being able to see her.

Legend has it that the word for immortality, became the name of the mountain, Mount Fuji. It is also said that the kanji for the mountain, which translate literally to "mountain abounding with warriors", are derived from the Emperor's army ascending the slopes to carry out his order. It is said that the smoke from the burning still rises to this day. (In the past, Mount Fuji was a much more active volcano and therefore produced more smoke.)

Elements of the tale were drawn from earlier stories. The protagonist Taketori no Okina appears in the earlier poetry collection Man'yōshū ( c.  759; poem #3791). In it, he meets a group of women and recites a poem to them. This indicates that there previously existed an image or tale revolving around a bamboo cutter and celestial or mystical women.

A similar retelling of the tale appears in the 12th century Konjaku Monogatarishū (volume 31, chapter 33), although the relationship between these texts is debated.

In 1957, Jinyu Fenghuang (), a Chinese book of Tibetan tales, was published. In the early 1970s, Japanese literary researchers became aware that Banzhu Guniang (), one of the tales in the book, had certain similarities with The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

Initially, many researchers believed Banzhu Guniang to be related to Tale of Bamboo Cutter, although some were skeptical. In the 1980s, studies showed that the relationship between these stories was not as simple as initially thought. Okutsu provides an extensive review of the research, and notes that the book Jinyu Fenghuang was intended to be for children, and as such, the editor took some liberties in adapting the tales. No other compilation of Tibetan tales contains the story. A researcher went to Sichuan and found that, apart from those who had already read Jinyu Fenghuang, local researchers in Chengdu did not know the story. Several Tibetan sources in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture did not know the story either. The philological consensus is that the author of the 1957 book purposefully copied The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

The Chinese legend of Chang'e can be traced to the second century BCE. According to the main telling of the legend, a xian named Chang'e came to Earth, thereby losing her immortality. To get it back, she stole the elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, then fled to the Moon. The elements of immortality and flight are well-connected to the Daoist figure of the xian, as is the appearance of unusual figures in the mountains, but the Japanese tale includes many novel elements such as the bamboo cutter, the suitors, and the night abduction by floating creatures.

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a popular folk tale in Japan. It has been adapted, updated and reworked into numerous modern media, especially Japanese pop culture media such as manga and anime.

Modern adaptations

Generally faithful adaptations of the original story include the following:

Modern updates and reworkings of the original story are found in numerous other works:

1. ^ Keene, Donald (1999). Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the Late Sixteenth Century. Columbia University Press. pp. 434-441. ISBN 978-0-231-11441-7. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15.

2. Seimiya Tsuyoshi, "Shinsen shiso no kihon kozo." ^ Shūkan Tōyōgaku no. 33 (1976)

3. ^ Zahed, Ramin (18 November 2013). "Hot Clip: Ghibli's 'Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020.

4. ^ Green, Scott (October 22, 2013). "VIDEO: Studio Ghibli's "Princess Kaguya" Featured in Ad". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020.

5. ^ Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade. A-Net Digital LLC. 2010. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-9845937-4-3. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15.

6. ^ allcinema, 映画 かぐや姫 (1935)について 映画データベース - allcinema (in Japanese), archived from the original on 2021-07-07

7. ^ Shirane, Haruo (2008). Envisioning The Tale of Genji: Media, Gender, and Cultural Production. Columbia University Press. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-231-51346-3. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15.

8. ^ "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya". The Source Weekly. Bend, Oregon. 2014. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020.

9. ^ Feez (9 April 2019). "Turn A Gundam's 20th Anniversary: A Reflection". Moon's Cocoon. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020.

10. ^ Joy, Alicia (3 October 2016). "The Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter, Japan's 10th-Century Sci-fi Folk Tale". Culture Trip. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020.

11. ^ "Het verhaal van de bamboesnijder - Pauline van de Ven | gedrukt boek | Bibliotheek.nl". Archived from the original on 2023-07-16.

12. ^ "ヌケニンたち3/キャラクター/ニンジャボックス/バンダイナムコエンターテインメント". Archived from the original on July 16, 2023.

Edward Drott. "'To Tread on High Clouds': Dreams of Eternal Youth in Early Japan." Japanese Journal of Religious Studies vol. 42, no. 2 (2015), 275-317.

Katagiri Yōichi, Fukui Teisuke, Takahashi Seiji and Shimizu Yoshiko. 1994. Taketori Monogatari, Yamato Monogatari, Ise Monogatari, Heichū Monogatari in Shinpen Nihon Koten Bungaku Zenshū series. Tokyo: Shogakukan.

Donald Keene (translator), The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, ISBN 4-7700-2329-4

Japan at a Glance Updated, ISBN 4-7700-2841-5, pages 164-165 (brief abstract)

Fumiko Enchi, "Kaguya-hime", ISBN 4-265-03282-6 (in Japanese hiragana)

Horiuchi, Hideaki; Akiyama Ken (1997). Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 17: Taketori Monogatari, Ise Monogatari (in Japanese). Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4-00-240017-4.

Satake, Akihiro; Yamada Hideo; Kudō Rikio; Ōtani Masao; Yamazaki Yoshiyuki (2003). Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 4: Man'yōshū (in Japanese). Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4-00-240004-4.

Taketori monogatari, Japanese Text Initiative, Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library

Yamada, Yoshio; Yamda Tadao; Yamda Hideo; Yamada Toshio (1963). Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 26: Konjaku Monogatari 5 (in Japanese). Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4-00-060026-2.

Eugene Y. Wang. "Mirror, Moon and Memory in Eighth-Century China: From Dragon Pond to Lunar Palace." Cleveland Studies in the History of Art vol. 9 (2005), 42-67.

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The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter - Wikipedia

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The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a monogatari (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the monogatari form.

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Bai Juyi's 'The Song of Everlasting Sorrow' 

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Bai Juyi's 'The Song of Everlasting Sorrow' 

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The influence of Bai Juyi's 'The Song of Everlasting Sorrow' is tangible throughout Lady Murasaki's work.

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"A fluid, elegant rendition." - Washington Post

Murasaki Shikibu, born into the middle ranks of the aristocracy during the Heian period (794-1185 CE), wrote The Tale of Genji -widely considered the world's first novel-during the early years of the eleventh century. Expansive, compelling, and sophisticated in its representation of ethical concerns and aesthetic ideals, Murasaki's tale came to occupy a central place in Japan's remarkable history of artistic achievement and is now recognized as a masterpiece of world literature.

The Tale of Genji is presented here in a flowing new translation for contemporary readers, who will discover in its depiction of the culture of the imperial court the rich complexity of human experience that simultaneously resonates with and challenges their own. Washburn sets off interior monologues with italics for fluid reading, embeds some annotations for accessibility and clarity, and renders the poetry into triplets to create prosodic analogues of the original.

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Amazon.com: The Tale of Genji: Unabridged eBook : Shikibu, Murasaki, Washburn, Dennis: Books

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from Royall Tyler's Introduction to his Translation

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from Royall Tyler's Introduction to his Translation

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from Royall Tyler's Introduction to his Translation

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"One of the three seminal works of Japanese literature, this beautiful collection of poems and tales offers an unparalleled insight into ancient Japan. . .  A poem-tale collection from the early Heian period, it contains many stories of amorous adventures, faithful friendship and travels in exile, framing the exquisite poems at the work's heart.The Tales of Ise has influenced waka, Noh, tales and diaries since the time it was written, and is still the source of endless inspiration in novels, poetry, manga and cartoons." -Publisher

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Tales of Ise: Macmillan, Peter, Keene, Donald, Macmillan, Peter: 9780141392578: Amazon.com: Books

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Tales of Ise [Macmillan, Peter, Keene, Donald, Macmillan, Peter] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Tales of Ise

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Creating Life-Changing Literary Lectures about the Great Books

Recent posts by Hardcore Literature Book Club with Benjamin McEvoy

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Get more from Hardcore Literature Book Club with Benjamin McEvoy on Patreon. Become a member for just $3/month. Hardcore Literature Book Club 2026...

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"This is the most complete reader's guide available on Japan's highly revered novel, the eleventh-century classic, The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, referred to by Nobel Laureate Yasunari Kawabata as the "highest pinnacle of Japanese literature." This guide offers detailed summaries and thematic commentaries, as well as cross-referenced notes on the novel's many characters. It also charts the essential progress of The Tale of Genji and introduces the reader to the more subtle complexities, literary devices, and conventions of Lady Murasaki's Heian Japan.The author presents brief, illustrated essays on historical, philosophical, and cultural features of the novel, and discusses such relevant aspects as the balance between the tenets of Shintoism and Buddhism, the pervasive concepts of karma in human relationships, and the poetic aspects of 'aware'. Both general readers and literature students will find the background information contained in this "companion" indispensable to their reading and interpretation of this complex novel. -Publisher

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William J. Puette (Author) Format: Paperback

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Tale of Genji: A Reader’s Guide (Tuttle Classics)

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Amazon.com: Tale of Genji: A Reader’s Guide (Tuttle Classics): 0676251310849: Puette, William J.: Books

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"The Diary recorded by Lady Murasaki (c. 973-c. 1020), author of The Tale of Genji, is an intimate picture of her life as tutor and companion to the young Empress Shoshi. Told in a series of vignettes, it offers revealing glimpses of the Japanese imperial palace - the auspicious birth of a prince, rivalries between the Emperor's consorts, with sharp criticism of Murasaki's fellow ladies-in-waiting and drunken courtiers, and telling remarks about the timid Empress and her powerful father, Michinaga. The Diary is also a work of great subtlety and intense personal reflection, as Murasaki makes penetrating insights into human psychology - her pragmatic observations always balanced by an exquisite and pensive melancholy."

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Murasaki Shikibu (Author), Richard Bowring (Editor, Introduction, Translator, Other Contributor) Format: Kindle Edition

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The Diary of Lady Murasaki (Penguin Classics)

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Amazon.com: The Diary of Lady Murasaki (Penguin Classics) eBook : Shikibu, Murasaki, Bowring, Richard, Bowring, Richard, Bowring, Richard, Bowring, Richard: Kindle Store

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Sept. 3: Chapters I-VI (1-6:150 pages)

Opening Questions:

1. The Women:   Looking carefully at the rainy night conversation in Chapter II,, what portraits of the perfect women can we draw? It may be useful connect these portraits to the women we encounter.

2. Genji’s character: Note passage that comment directly on Genji’s character. Can we accept these at face value, or does Genji seem to be misunderstood even by the narrator, who may herself be a character in the novel?

3. Poetry: How effectively does the poetry work in Chapters I-VI?

Sept 17: VII-XII (7-12)

Oct. 1: III-XVIII (12-18)

Oct. 15: XIX-XXIV (19-24)

Oct. 29: XXV- XXX (25-30)

Nov. 12: XXXI-XXXVI (31-36)

Nov. 19: XXXVII-XLII (37-42)

Dec. 3: XLIII-XLVIII (43-48)

Dec. 17: XLIX-LIV (49-54)

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The world of Genji is filled with the sound of koto music

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Japanese Masterpieces for the Koto (Full Album)

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Noh "Aoi no Ue" Genji Monogatari, Hikaru Genji's wife, Lady Rokujo, with modern translation

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Same play as above but with an explanation of some of the principles and aesthetic of Noh drama.

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能　葵上　Nō Aoinoue (Full Japanese Noh play "Lady Aoi")

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Teaching of Buddha [Unknown] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Teaching of Buddha

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Search for Plum Village on Spotify

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Namo’valokiteshvaraya Chant - High Quality

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Pastime of novel's characters.

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Yellow Mountain Imports Large Magnetic 19x19 Go Game Set Board (14.6-Inch) with Single Convex Stones - Folding, Portable, and Travel Ready Set

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Buy Yellow Mountain Imports Large Magnetic 19x19 Go Game Set Board (14.6-Inch) with Single Convex Stones - Folding, Portable, and Travel Ready Set: Board Games - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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Three-part format:—annotated text, contexts, and criticism.

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The Daughter of Sugawara no TakasueThe Tale of GenjiAn index of songs and poetry, three chronologies, and a selected bibliography.About the SeriesRead by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format-annotated text, contexts, and criticism-helps students to better understand, analyze, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.

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The Tale of Genji: A Norton Critical Edition

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The Daughter of Sugawara no TakasueThe Tale of GenjiAn index of songs and poetry, three chronologies, and a selected bibliography.About the SeriesRead by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate re...

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"Using The Tale of Genji and other major literary works from Japan’s Heian period as a frame of reference, The World of the Shining Prince recreates an era when women set the cultural tone. Focusing on the world of the emperor’s court—a world deeply admired by Virginia Woolf, among others—renowned scholar of Japanese history and literature Ivan Morris explores the politics, society, religious life, and superstitions of the period."

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Amazon.com: The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan: 9780345803900: Morris, Ivan: Books

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Amazon.com: The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan: 9780345803900: Morris, Ivan: Books

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Watch Millennium Old Journal: The Tale of Genji - Season 1 | Prime Video

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Born from a much loved, but lowly ranked concubine, Genji Hikaru is called the Shining Prince and is the beloved second son of the Emperor. Although he cannot be an heir to the throne of his father, Genji spends his life surrounded by every pleasure and love. And yet, his one longing in love is something that even the power of an Emperor can never give him.

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Poems in Waka form by Lady Murasaki. Selected poems and writings by Murasaki Shikibu, author of Tale of Genji.

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"The best-loved and most widely read of all Japanese poetry collections, the Ogura Hyakunin Isshucontains 100 short poems on nature, the seasons, travel, and, above all, love. Dating back to the seventh century, these elegant, precisely observed waka poems (the precursor of haiku) express deep emotion through visual images based on a penetrating observation of the natural world. Peter MacMillan's new translation of his prize-winning original conveys even more effectively the beauty and subtlety of this magical collection." -Publisher

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Amazon.com: One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse (Penguin Classics) eBook : MacMillan, Peter: Kindle Store

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Amazon.com: One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse (Penguin Classics) eBook : MacMillan, Peter: Kindle Store

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The Way of the Gods and Three Foreign Teachings

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The Way of the Gods and Three Foreign Teachings

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How to Read The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

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Note: The images in this section, each showing two panels, reproduce a pair of late seventeenth-century screens that feature scenes from all fifty-four chapters of The Tale of Genji. Beginning at the top of the Panel 1 on the right screen, the sequence of scenes proceeds from right to left, top to bottom. See below.

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Amazon.com: The Tale of Genji: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition): 9780142437148: Shikibu, Murasaki, Tyler, Royall: Books

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Amazon.com: The Tale of Genji: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition): 9780142437148: Shikibu, Murasaki, Tyler, Royall: Books

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Murasaki Shikibu (Author), Edward G. Seidensticker (Translator) Format: Paperback

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The Tale of Genji [Murasaki Shikibu, Edward G. Seidensticker] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Tale of Genji

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Though Washburn acknowledges the many deficiencies of Waley's translation, he also recognizes it's great valueL "What Waley did create is literary art of extraordinary beauty that brings to life in English the world Murasaki Shikibu imagined. The beauty of his art has not dimmed, but like the original text itself retains the power to move and enlighten."

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Murasaki Shikibu (Author), Dennis Washburn (Foreword), Arthur Waley (Translator) & 0 more Format: Kindle Edition

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Tale of Genji: The Arthur Waley Translation of Lady Murasaki’s Masterpiece with a new foreword by Dennis Washburn (Tuttle Classics)

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Tale of Genji: The Arthur Waley Translation of Lady Murasaki’s Masterpiece with a new foreword by Dennis Washburn (Tuttle Classics) - Kindle edition by Shikibu, Murasaki, Washburn, Dennis, Waley, Arthur. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Tale of Genji: The Arthur Waley Translation of Lady Murasaki’s Masterpiece with a new foreword by Dennis Washburn (Tuttle Classics).

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Washburn, Tyler, and Seidensticker translated directly from scholarly editions of the classical Japanese text—not from modern Japanese translations—but they did not work from exactly the same printed edition.

Edward Seidensticker (1976) used chiefly Yamagishi Tokuhei’s critical edition, Genji monogatari, published by Iwanami Shoten—especially the six-volume Iwanami Bunko edition completed in 1967. He also consulted other commentaries and modern-Japanese renderings, notably Tanizaki Jun’ichirō’s, when interpreting difficult passages. In Genji Days, Seidensticker refers repeatedly to “Yamagishi” as his principal textual authority.

Royall Tyler (2001) based his translation principally on the six-volume Shinpen Nihon koten bungaku zenshūedition, edited by Abe Akio, Akiyama Ken, Imai Gen’e, and others, published by Shōgakukan in 1994–98. This provides the classical text, extensive annotation, and a modern-Japanese translation. Tyler translated the classical text itself but naturally drew upon the editors’ annotations and interpretations.

Dennis Washburn (2015) began with two principal editions: Yamagishi Tokuhei’s six-volume Iwanami edition and the earlier six-volume Shōgakukan Nihon koten bungaku zenshū edition edited by Abe Akio, Akiyama Ken, and Imai Gen’e, published in 1970–76. He then cross-checked them against more recent editions and specialized commentaries.

Behind all these printed editions lies substantially the same textual tradition: the Aobyōshibon 青表紙本, associated with Fujiwara no Teika’s thirteenth-century recension. Murasaki Shikibu’s autograph manuscript has not survived. Thus the translators were not translating a single surviving “original,” but modern critical reconstructions of a manuscript tradition.

The striking differences among their English versions arise much more from interpretation and translation method than from radically different Japanese source texts.

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The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. The original manuscript, created around the peak of the Heian period, no longer exists. It was made in " concertina" or style: several sheets of paper pasted together and folded alternately in one direction then the other. The work is a unique depiction of the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period. It is written in archaic language and a poetic yet confusing style that make it unreadable to the average Japanese person without dedicated study. It was not until the early 20th century that Genji was translated into modern Japanese by the poet Akiko Yosano. The first English translation was attempted in 1882 but was of poor quality and incomplete.

The work recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, or "Shining Genji", the son of an ancient Japanese emperor, known to readers as Emperor Kiritsubo, and a low-ranking concubine called Kiritsubo Consort. For political reasons, the emperor removes Genji from the line of succession, demoting him to a commoner by giving him the surname Minamoto, and he pursues a career as an imperial officer. The tale concentrates on Genji's romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time. It may be the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first psychological novel, and the first novel still to be considered a classic.

Murasaki was writing at the height of the Fujiwara clan's power- Fujiwara no Michinaga was the Regent in all but name, and the most significant political figure of his day. Consequently, Murasaki is believed to have partially informed the character of Genji through her experience of Michinaga.

The Tale of Genji may have been written chapter by chapter in installments, as Murasaki delivered the tale to aristocratic women (ladies-in-waiting). It has many elements found in a modern novel: a central character and a very large number of major and minor characters, well-developed characterization of all the major players, a sequence of events covering the central character's lifetime and beyond. The work does not make use of a plot; instead, events happen and characters simply grow older. One remarkable feature of the Genji, and of Murasaki's skill, is its internal consistency, despite a dramatis personæ of some four hundred characters. For instance, all characters age in step and the family and feudal relationships maintain general consistency.

One complication for readers and translators of the Genji is that almost none of the characters in the original text is given an explicit name. The characters are instead referred to by their function or role (e.g. Minister of the Left), an honorific (e.g. His Excellency), or their relation to other characters (e.g. Heir Apparent), which changes as the novel progresses. This lack of names stems from Heian-era court manners that would have made it unacceptably familiar and blunt to freely mention a person's given name. Modern readers and translators have used various nicknames to keep track of the many characters.

The Tale of Genji was written in an archaic court language that was already unreadable a century after it was written. Thus, the Japanese have been reading annotated and illustrated versions of the work since as early as the 12th century. It was not until the early 20th century that Genji was translated into modern Japanese, by the poet Akiko Yosano.

The debate over how much of Genji was actually written by Murasaki Shikibu has gone on for centuries and is unlikely to ever be settled unless some major archival discovery is made. It is generally accepted that the tale was finished in its present form by 1021, when the author of the Sarashina Nikki wrote a diary entry about her joy at acquiring a complete copy of the tale. She writes that there are over 50 chapters and mentions a character introduced at the end of the work, so if other authors besides Murasaki Shikibu did work on the tale, the work was finished very near to the time of her writing. Murasaki Shikibu's own diary includes a reference to the tale, and indeed the application to herself of the name 'Murasaki' in an allusion to the main female character. That entry confirms that some if not all of the diary was available in 1008 when internal evidence suggests convincingly that the entry was written.

Lady Murasaki is said to have written the character of Genji based on the Minister on the Left at the time she was at court. Other translators, such as Tyler, believe the character Murasaki no Ue, whom Genji marries, is based on Murasaki Shikibu herself.

Yosano Akiko, the first author to make a modern Japanese translation of Genji, believed that Murasaki Shikibu had only written chapters 1 to 33, and that chapters 35 to 54 were written by her daughter Daini no Sanmi. Other scholars have also doubted the authorship of chapters 42 to 54 (particularly 44, which contains rare examples of continuity mistakes). According to Royall Tyler's introduction to his English translation of the work, recent computer analysis has turned up "statistically significant" discrepancies of style between chapters 45-54 and the rest, and also among the early chapters.

Genji's mother dies when he is three years old, and the Emperor cannot forget her. The Emperor Kiritsubo then hears of a woman ( Lady Fujitsubo), formerly a princess of the preceding emperor, who resembles his deceased concubine, and later she becomes one of his wives. Genji loves her first as a stepmother, but later as a woman, and they fall in love with each other. Genji is frustrated by his forbidden love for the Lady Fujitsubo and is on bad terms with his own wife ( Aoi no Ue, the Lady Aoi). He engages in a series of love affairs with other women. These are however unfulfilling, as in most cases his advances are rebuffed, or his lover dies suddenly, or he becomes bored.

Genji visits Kitayama, a rural hilly area north of Kyoto, where he finds a beautiful ten-year-old girl. He is fascinated by this little girl ( Murasaki), and discovers that she is a niece of the Lady Fujitsubo. Finally he kidnaps her, brings her to his own palace and educates her to be like the Lady Fujitsubo, who is his womanly ideal. During this time Genji also meets Lady Fujitsubo secretly, and she bears his son, Reizei. Everyone except the two lovers believes the father of the child is the Emperor Kiritsubo. Later the boy becomes the Crown Prince and Lady Fujitsubo becomes the Empress, but Genji and Lady Fujitsubo swear to keep the child's true parentage secret.

Genji and his wife, Lady Aoi, reconcile. She gives birth to a son but dies soon after. Genji is sorrowful but finds consolation in Murasaki, whom he marries. Genji's father, the Emperor Kiritsubo, dies. He is succeeded by his son Suzaku, whose mother (Kokiden), together with Kiritsubo's political enemies, take power in the court. Then another of Genji's secret love affairs is exposed: Genji and a concubine of the Emperor Suzaku are discovered while meeting in secret. The Emperor Suzaku confides his personal amusement at Genji's exploits with the woman (Oborozukiyo), but is duty-bound to punish Genji even though he is his half-brother. He exiles Genji to the town of Suma in rural Harima Province (now part of Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture). There, a prosperous man known as the Akashi Novice (because he is from Akashi in Settsu Province) entertains Genji, and Genji has an affair with Akashi's daughter. She gives birth to Genji's only daughter, who will later become the Empress.

In the capital the Emperor Suzaku is troubled by dreams of his late father, Kiritsubo, and something begins to affect his eyes. Meanwhile, his mother, Kokiden, grows ill, which weakens her influence over the throne, and leads to the Emperor ordering Genji to be pardoned. Genji returns to Kyoto. His son by Lady Fujitsubo, Reizei, becomes the emperor. The new Emperor Reizei knows Genji is his real father, and raises Genji's rank to the highest possible.

However, when Genji turns 40 years old, his life begins to decline. His political status does not change, but his love and emotional life begin to incrementally diminish as middle age takes hold. He marries another wife, the Third Princess (known as Onna san no miya in the Seidensticker version, or Nyōsan in Waley's). Genji's nephew, Kashiwagi, later forces himself on the Third Princess, and she bears Kaoru (who, in a similar situation to that of Reizei, is legally known as the son of Genji). Genji's new marriage changes his relationship with Murasaki, who had expressed her wish of becoming a nun ( bikuni) though the wish was rejected by Genji.

Genji's beloved Murasaki dies. In the following chapter, Maboroshi ("Illusion"), Genji contemplates how fleeting life is. Immediately after the chapter titled Maboroshi, there is a chapter titled Kumogakure ("Vanished into the Clouds"), which is left blank, but implies the death of Genji.

Chapter 45-54 are known as the "Uji Chapters". These chapters follow Kaoru and his best friend, Niou. Niou is an imperial prince, the son of Genji's daughter, the current Empress now that Reizei has abdicated the throne, while Kaoru is known to the world as Genji's son but is in fact fathered by Genji's nephew. The chapters involve Kaoru and Niou's rivalry over several daughters of an imperial prince who lives in Uji, a place some distance away from the capital. The tale ends abruptly, with Kaoru wondering if Niou is hiding Kaoru's former lover away from him. Kaoru has sometimes been called the first anti-hero in literature.

The tale has an abrupt ending. Opinions vary on whether this was intended by the author. Arthur Waley, who made the first English translation of the whole of The Tale of Genji, believed that the work as we have it was finished. Ivan Morris, however, author of The World of the Shining Prince, believed that it was not complete and that later chapters were missing. Edward Seidensticker, who made the second translation of the Genji, believed that Murasaki Shikibu had not had a planned story structure with an ending as such but would simply have continued writing as long as she could.

Because it was written to entertain the Japanese court of the eleventh century, the work presents many difficulties to modern readers. First and foremost, Murasaki's language, Heian period court Japanese, was highly inflected and had very complex grammar. Another problem is that naming people was considered rude in Heian court society, so none of the characters are named within the work; instead, the narrator refers to men often by their rank or their station in life, and to women often by the color of their clothing, or by the words used at a meeting, or by the rank of a prominent male relative. This results in different appellations for the same character depending on the chapter.

Another aspect of the language is the importance of using poetry in conversations. Modifying or rephrasing a classic poem according to the current situation was expected behavior in Heian court life, and often served to communicate thinly veiled allusions. The poems in the Genji are often in the classic Japanese tanka form. Many of the poems were well known to the intended audience, so usually only the first few lines are given and the reader is supposed to complete the thought themselves, much like today we could say "when in Rome ..." and leave the rest of the saying ("... do as the Romans do") unspoken.

As with most Heian literature, Genji was probably written mostly (or perhaps entirely) in kana (Japanese phonetic script) and not in kanji, because it was written by a woman for a female audience. Writing in kanji was at the time a masculine pursuit; women were generally discreet when using kanji, confining themselves mostly to native Japanese words ( yamato kotoba).

Outside of vocabulary related to politics and Buddhism, Genji contains remarkably few Chinese loan words ( kango). This has the effect of giving the story a very even, smooth flow. However, it also introduces confusion: there are a number of homophones (words with the same pronunciation but different meanings), and for modern readers, context is not always sufficient to determine which meaning was intended.

The novel is traditionally divided into three parts, the first two dealing with the life of Genji and the last with the early years of two of Genji's prominent descendants, Niou and Kaoru. There are also several short transitional chapters which are usually grouped separately and whose authorships are sometimes questioned.

1. Genji's rise and fall

1. Youth, chapters 1-33: Love, romance, and exile

2. Success and setbacks, chapters 34-41: A taste of power and the death of his beloved wife

2. The transition (chapters 42-44): Very short episodes following Genji's death

3. Uji, chapters 45-54: Genji's official and secret descendants, Niou and Kaoru

The 54th and last chapter, "The Floating Bridge of Dreams", is sometimes argued by modern scholars to be a separate part from the Uji part. It seems to continue the story from the previous chapters but has an unusually abstract chapter title. It is the only chapter whose title has no clear reference within the text, although this may be due to the chapter being unfinished. This question is made more difficult by the fact that we do not know exactly when the chapters acquired their titles.

The English translations here are taken from the Arthur Waley, the Edward Seidensticker, the Royall Tyler, and the Dennis Washburn translations. It is not known for certain when the chapters acquired their titles. Early mentions of the Tale refer to chapter numbers, or contain alternate titles for some of the chapters. This may suggest that the titles were added later. The titles are largely derived from poetry that is quoted within the text, or allusions to various characters.

The additional chapter between 41 and 42 in some manuscripts is called 雲隠 ( Kumogakure) which means "Vanished into the Clouds"-the chapter is a title only, and is probably intended to evoke Genji's death. Some scholars have posited the earlier existence of a chapter between 1 and 2 which would have introduced some characters that seem to appear very abruptly in the book as it stands.

The Waley translation completely omits the 38th chapter.

Later authors have composed additional chapters, most often either between 41 and 42, or after the end.

The original manuscript written by Murasaki Shikibu no longer exists. Numerous copies, totaling around 300 according to Ikeda Kikan, exist with differences between each. It is thought that Shikibu often went back and edited early manuscripts introducing discrepancies with earlier copies.

The various manuscripts are classified into three categories:

In the 13th century, two major attempts by Minamoto no Chikayuki and Fujiwara Teika were made to edit and revise the differing manuscripts. The Chikayuki manuscript is known as the Kawachibon; edits were many beginning in 1236 and completing in 1255. The Teika manuscript is known as the Aobyōshibon; its edits are more conservative and thought to better represent the original. These two manuscripts were used as the basis for many future copies.

The Beppon category represents all other manuscripts not belonging to either Kawachibon or Aobyōshibon. This includes older but incomplete manuscripts, mixed manuscripts derived from both Kawachibon and Aobyōshibon, and commentaries.

On March 10, 2008, it was announced that a late Kamakura period manuscript was found in Kyōto. It is the sixth chapter "Suetsumuhana" and is 65 pages in length. Most remaining manuscripts are based on copies of the Teika manuscript which introduced revisions in the original. This newly discovered manuscript belongs to a different lineage and was not influenced by Teika. Professor Yamamoto Tokurō, who examined the manuscript said, "This is a precious discovery as Kamakura manuscripts are so rare." Professor Katō Yōsuke said, "This is an important discovery as it asserts that non-Teika manuscripts were being read during the Kamakura period."

On October 29, 2008, Konan Women's University announced that a mid-Kamakura period manuscript was found. It is the 32nd chapter, Umegae, and is recognized as the oldest extant copy of this chapter dating between 1240-80. This beppon manuscript is 74 pages in length and differs from Aobyōshi manuscripts in at least four places, raising the "possibility that the contents may be closer to the undiscovered Murasaki Shikibu original manuscript".

On October 9, 2019, it was announced that an original copy of Teika's Aobyōshibon was found in Tokyo at the home of the current head of the Okochi-Matsudaira clan, who ran the Yoshida Domain. The manuscript is the 5th chapter, "Wakamurasaki" (若紫), and is the oldest version of the chapter. Blue ink common in Teika's manuscript and handwriting analysis confirms that it is indeed by Teika, making it among the 5 original versions of the Aobyōshibon that is known to exist.

A twelfth-century scroll, the Genji monogatari emaki, contains illustrated scenes from the Genji together with handwritten sōgana text. This scroll is the earliest extant example of a Japanese "picture scroll": collected illustrations and calligraphy of a single work. The original scroll is believed to have comprised 10-20 rolls and covered all 54 chapters. The extant pieces include only 19 illustrations and 65 pages of text, plus nine pages of fragments. This is estimated at roughly 15% of the envisioned original. The Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya has three of the scrolls handed down in the Owari branch of the Tokugawa clan and one scroll held by the Hachisuka family is now in the Gotoh Museum in Tokyo. The scrolls are designated National Treasures of Japan. The scrolls are so fragile that they normally are not shown in public. The original scrolls in the Tokugawa Museum were shown from November 21 to November 29 in 2009. Since Heisei 13, they have been displayed in the Tokugawa Museum always for around one week in November. An oversize English photoreproduction and translation was printed in limited edition by Kodansha International ( Tale of Genji Scroll, ISBN 0-87011-131-0).

Other notable versions are by Tosa Mitsuoki, who lived from 1617 to 1691. His paintings are closely based on Heian style from the existing scrolls from the 12th century and are fully complete. The tale was also a popular theme in Ukiyo-e prints from the Edo period.

The complexities of the style mentioned in the previous section make it unreadable by the average Japanese person without dedicated study of the language of the tale. Therefore, translations into modern Japanese and other languages solve these problems by modernizing the language, unfortunately losing some of the meaning, and by giving names to the characters, usually the traditional names used by academics. This gives rise to anachronisms; for instance Genji's first wife is named Aoi because she is known as the lady of the Aoi chapter, in which she dies.

Both scholars and writers have tried translating it. The first translation into modern Japanese was made by the poet Yosano Akiko. Other known translations were done by the novelists Jun'ichirō Tanizaki and Fumiko Enchi.

Because of the cultural differences, reading an annotated version of the Genji is quite common, even among Japanese. There are several annotated versions by novelists, including Seiko Tanabe, Jakucho Setouchi and Osamu Hashimoto. Many works, including a manga series and different television dramas, are derived from The Tale of Genji. There have been at least five manga adaptations of the Genji. A manga version by Waki Yamato, Asakiyumemishi (The Tale of Genji in English), and another version, by Miyako Maki, won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1989.

The first partial translation of Genji Monogatari into English was by Suematsu Kenchō, published in 1882. Arthur Waley published a six-volume translation of all but one chapter, with the first volume published in 1925 and the last in 1933. In 1976, Edward Seidensticker published the first complete translation into English, made using a self-consciously "stricter" approach with regards to content if not form. The English translation published in 2001 by Royall Tyler aims at fidelity in content and form to the original text. The most recently written ("Genji and the Luck of the Sea") dates from 2007. Its initial version has been extensively revised, retitled, and updated for this publication.

In 2008, WorldCat identifies 88 editions of this book. The major translations into English are each slightly different, mirroring the personal choices of the translator and the period in which the translation was made. Each version has its merits, its detractors and its advocates, and each is distinguished by the name of the translator. For example, the version translated by Arthur Waley would typically be referred to as "the Waley Genji".

Major English translations in chronological order

The Suematsu Genji (1882) - Suematsu's Genji was the first translation into English, but is considered of poor quality and is not often read today. Significantly, only a few chapters were completed.

The Waley Genji (1925-1933) -Waley's Genji is considered a great achievement for his time, although some purists have criticized Waley's changes to the original. Others have criticized as overly-free the manner in which Waley translated the original text. Regardless, it continues to be well-appreciated and widely read today. When the Waley Genji was first published, it was eagerly received. For example, Time explained that "the reviewers' floundering tributes indicate something of its variegated appeal. In limpid prose The Tale combines curiously modern social satire with great charm of narrative. Translator Waley has done service to literature in salvaging to the Occident this masterpiece of the Orient."

The Seidensticker Genji (1976) - Seidensticker's Genji is an attempt to correct what were perceived to have been Waley's failings without necessarily making his translation obsolete. Seidensticker hews more closely to the original text, but in the interests of readability, he takes some liberties. For example, he identifies most of the characters by name so that the narrative can be more easily followed by a broad-based audience of Western readers. (In 2008, a 4,400-page Braille version of the Seidensticker Genji was completed. This Braille edition was the product of five Japanese housewives from Setagaya, Tokyo, working voluntarily for five years and was subsequently donated to the Japan Braille Library (日本点字図書館) and the Library of Congress. It is also available for download.)

The McCullough Genji (1994) - An abridgement.

The Tyler Genji (2001) - Tyler's Genji contains more extensive explanatory footnotes and commentary than the previous translations, describing the numerous poetical allusions and cultural aspects of the tale. Tyler consciously attempted to mimic the original style in ways that the previous translations did not. For example, this version does not use names for most characters, identifying them instead by their titles in a manner which was conventional in the context of the 11th-century original text - "...while wonderfully evocative of the original, can be difficult to follow...". Tyler's version "makes a special virtue of attending to a certain ceremonial indirectness in the way the characters address one another. The great temptation for a translator is to say the unsaid things, and Tyler never gives in to it."[attribution needed ] This has been praised by some critics[who? ] as "preserving more of what once seemed unfamiliar or strange to English readers",[attribution needed ] as understanding the culture of Lady Murasaki's time is arguably a chief reason for reading Genji.

The Washburn Genji (2015) - Dennis Washburn's Genji separates the poems from the prose and puts interior thoughts in italics. The translation has been received slightly more controversially than Tyler's, with most criticism aimed at the perceived over-clarification of the text and addition of modern colloquialisms.

The Tale of Genji is an important work of Japanese literature, and modern authors have cited it as inspiration, such as Jorge Luis Borges who said of it, " The Tale of Genji, as translated by Arthur Waley, is written with an almost miraculous naturalness, and what interests us is not the exoticism-the horrible word-but rather the human passions of the novel. Such interest is just: Murasaki's work is what one would quite precisely call a psychological novel ... I dare to recommend this book to those who read me. The English translation that has inspired this brief insufficient note is called The Tale of Genji." It is noted for its internal consistency, psychological depiction, and characterization. The novelist Yasunari Kawabata said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: " The Tale of Genji in particular is the highest pinnacle of Japanese literature. Even down to our day there has not been a piece of fiction to compare with it."

The Genji is also often referred to as "the first novel", though there is considerable debate over this-some of the debate involving whether Genji can even be considered a "novel". Some consider the psychological insight, complexity and unity of the work to qualify it for "novel" status while simultaneously disqualifying earlier works of prose fiction. Others see these arguments as subjective and unconvincing.

Related claims, perhaps in an attempt to sidestep these debates, are that Genji is the "first psychological novel" or " historical novel", "the first novel still considered to be a classic" or other more qualified terms. However, critics have almost consistently described The Tale of Genji as the oldest, first, and/or greatest novel in Japanese literature, though enthusiastic proponents may have later neglected the qualifying category of in Japanese literature, leading to the debates over the book's place in world literature. Even in Japan, the Tale of Genji is not universally embraced; the lesser known Ochikubo Monogatari has been proposed as the "world's first full-length novel", even though its author is unknown. Despite these debates, The Tale of Genji enjoys solid respect among the works of literature, and its influence on Japanese literature has been compared to that of Philip Sidney's on English literature.

The novel and other works by Lady Murasaki are staple reading material in the curricula of Japanese schools. The Bank of Japan issued the 2000 Yen banknote in her honor, featuring a scene from the novel based on the 12th-century illustrated handscroll. Since a 1 November 1008 entry in The Diary of Lady Murasaki is the oldest date on which a reference to The Tale of Genji has appeared, November 1 was designated as the official day to celebrate Japanese classics. According to Act on Classics Day, the "classics" that are honored not only include literature, but encompass a wide range of arts such as music, art, traditional performing arts, entertainment, lifestyle art including tea ceremony and flower arrangement and other cultural products.

The names of the chapters became a central element a sort of incense based game called Genjikō, part of the larger practice of Monkō popular among the nobility. In Genjikō, players must match the scents of a series of five incense samples without being told the names of said samples. Each possible combination was matched to a symbol, called a genji-mon, that represented a chapter from the story.

On November 1, 2008, Google celebrated 1000 years of The Tale of Genji with a Google Doodle.

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Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai, ed. (1970). Introduction to Classic Japanese Literature. Greenwood Printing. ISBN 0-8371-3118-9.

Mostow, Joshua S (April 1999). ""Picturing" in The Tale of Genji". The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese. 33 (1): 1-25. doi:10.2307/489628. JSTOR 489628.

Murase, Miyeko (1983). Iconography of the Tale of Genji : Genji monogatari ekotoba. New York: Weatherhill.

Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten: Kan'yakuban [A Comprehensive Dictionary of Classical Japanese Literature: Concise Edition]. Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten. 1986. ISBN 4-00-080067-1.

Puette, William J (1983). Guide to the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. Rutland, VT: C.E. Tuttle.

Seidensticker, Edward G. (1976). The Tale of Genji. 1. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-4-8053-0919-3.

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Sestili Daniele (1996). Musica e danza del principe Genji. Le arti dello spettacolo nell'antico Giappone. Lucca: LIM,

Stevenson and Ho, Barbara and Cynthia O (2000). Crossing the Bridge : Comparative Essays on Medieval European and Heian Japanese Women Writers. New York: Palgrave.

Tyler, Royall (1999). "'I Am I': Genji and Murasaki". Monumenta Nipponica. 54 (4): 435-80. doi:10.2307/2668318. JSTOR 2668318.

Tyler, Royall (March 2002). "Marriage, Rank and Rape in The Tale of Genji". Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context. 7.

Tyler, Royall and Susan (2002). "The Possession of Ukifune". Asiatica Venetiana. 5: 177-209.

Tyler, Royall (2003). "Rivalry, Triumph, Folly, Revenge: A Plot Line through the Tale of Genji". Journal of Japanese Studies. 29 (2): 251-87.

Lawrence, Hollendaisde (1958). Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 14: Genji Monogatari 1 (in Japanese). Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 4-00-060014-1.

Yoda, Tomiko (December 1999). "Fractured Dialogues: Mono no aware and Poetic Communication in the Tale of Genji". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. 59 (2): 523-57. doi:10.2307/2652721. JSTOR 2652721.

The Tale of Genji - Oxford Text Archive A complete English translation of the work, free for non-commercial use, Edward G. Seidensticker's translation.

The Tale of Genji, 1654 Library of Congress, Asian Division. The edition in the Library of Congress is a complete and well-preserved set including the complete main text (54 volumes) of Tale of Genji, also Meyasu (3 volumes, commentary on key words and phrases in the text, Keizu (genealogy), Yamaji no tsuyu (a sequel to the work by a later author), and Hikiuta (index).

Japanese Literature - Including Selections from Genji Monogatari and Classical Poetry and Drama of Japan Contains the 1882 Suematsu translation of the first 17 chapters of The Tale of Genji, with an introduction and notes.

The Texts of Genji Monogatari Original text, romanized version, and modern Japanese translation of The Tale of Genji at the University of Virginia Library.

Tale of the Genji woodcuts Woodcut illustrations and accompanying excerpts at the UNESCO Global Heritage Pavilion.

The Picture Scroll of The Tale of Genji Some scans of the Genji Monogatari Emaki (Tale of Genji Scroll). Only about half of the images are from the twelfth-century scroll; they are the darker colored, more faded images.

The Tale of Genji A photographic guide to The Tale of Genji.

The Tale of Genji Audiobooks Japanese reading of 7 of 54 chapters from the original text, mp3 files.

Japan Finance Minister Announces Kyoto Coin Design with The Tale of Genji Theme The Kyoto Prefecture commemorative coin set for release in October 2008 features a scene from The Tale of Genji.

Carving of Picture Scroll of Genji monogatari Paper carvings by Noda Kazuko reproducing the 18 extant illustrations of the 13th-century Genji monogatari emaki.

Ohmi Gallery A nice collection of Ukiyo-e and Shin-hanga, including illustrations of The Tale of Genji by such artists as Ebina Masao and Utagawa Kunisada.

Tale of Genji Scroll 18th century anonymous artist Available at Dartmouth College, it covers the first 16 chapters of the tale.

The Tale of Genji by Miyata Masayuki Paper cuts by renowned artist Miyata Masayuki.

World Digital Library presentation of 源氏物語 Genji monogatari: Volume One, Kiritsubo. Library of Congress. Primary source moveable type book. 1596-1615, first printed edition of the world's first great novel.

Genji Monogatari public domain audiobook at LibriVox

Tale of Genji chapter summaries.

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The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. The original manuscript, created around the peak of the Heian period, no longer exists. It was made in " concertina" or style: several sheets of paper pasted together and folded alternately in one direction then the other.