The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, reveals much about the power relations prevailing in the Heian period of Japan. Although the book deals primarily with the private and personal lives of those in the aristocratic class in that era, the stories inevitably shed light as well on their public and political lives, the prevalent institutions of the period, and the nature of power which shaped public and private relationships and identities of the time. Specifically, the study will argue that men wield the power at both the personal and political levels in eleventh century Japan, and that women are secondary figures who are kept in their place. Power is wielded according to standards and procedures understood and recognized by all, with rare exceptions. Because all of the characters belong to the aristocratic class--including princes and princesses, emperors, ministers, children of emperors and ministers, high-ranking consorts, etc.--there are no figures who are utterly without power. At the same time, characters do discuss the role of class distinctions in determining one's power and the rise and fall of the same. Power for those in the Heian period is a matter of adhering to the well-established hierarchy in private and public life.
The story is about a young man with much personal and political power--Genji, the son of the reigning emperor. It is telling that the book is written by a woman about a man--a suggestion of the dominant position of men over women in the Japan of the eleventh century. The very first sentence of the book establishes this power relationship of men over women, and also defines the major role of women in that relationship--as sexual companion: "During the reign of a certain sovereign, it happened that one rather insignificant lady enjoyed far greater imperial favor than any of the other consorts and concubines" (25). The opening story quickly sets forth the guidelines defining power relations in public an...