The Heian period in Japanese history
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The Heian period is the era in Japanese history extending from the end of the eighth century through the early part of the tenth century. This era is portrayed in the book The Tale of Genji. Edward G. Seidensticker stats that the book describes "the court life of Heian Japan, from the tenth century into the eleventh" (Seidensticker ix). The work was most probably written by Murasaki Shikibu, about whom little is known except that she was a wellborn lady and understood the world depicted in her book. Ivan Morris emphasizes that Heian culture was one set largely by women, and he also describes The Tale of Genji as the "first psychological novel in the literature of the world" (Morris 265). Seidensticker echoes part of this when he also ponders why the literature of the era was dominated by women, something he says is "another problem that exercises the scholars" (Seidensticker x). The Tale of Genji centers largely on court life, though the life of the lower classes is included, and places an emphasis on the characters, who are shown both representing certain social roles and also being conscious of this fact so that they consciously try to represent what they believe their role should be. The beginning of the Heian period is marked by the move of the capital to Kyoto, or Heiankyo, as it was then known. The Heian era ended with the establishment of a military government in Kamakura in 1185: Several significant developments took place during this period, among them th
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the request of the Empress that she develop something more entertaining than the regular stories that had become boring through repetition (Puette 51).
A view of how the individual fits into society is expressed in The Tale of Genji. The main character lives as a commoner though he has royal blood, and thus he is able to combine in one person the upper and lower strata of society in a way that illuminates characteristics of both. Genji has a gentleness of soul that helps him make friends easily, and people are drawn to him almost immediately. He thus brings the reader into contact with a large number and a wide variety of characters: "Even persons to whom Genji was nothing were drawn to him" (Murasaki 37). This contributes to the effect the novel has of presenting much of the society and social structure of the era. Characters interact with one another directly and exchange poems and converse together. The fact that Genji travels so widely is another reason why he comes into contact with such a variety of people.
Genji begins as the son of the Emperor by his favorite consort. His existence creates jealousy among other contenders for the throne, and to protect him, the Emperor makes him a Genji, or a member of the no
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Approximate Word count = 1616
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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