Ideal Men &Women of the Heian Court based on “The Tale of Genji”

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Genji Monogatari or The Tale of Genji is a story that was written by Murasaki Shikibu during the Heian period. It is a very well received work of Japanese literature and the first part of the story is written with the main character being Genji, and then continues without him. I have no knowledge of the second half of Genji Monogatari but it is in the first section of this tale the characteristics and traits for ideal men and women of the society within the story can be gathered. The criteria for an ideal man or woman in The Tale of Genji was the importance of the physical attribute of beauty, the background, personality, and education of a woman, and characteristics that the main hero of the story, Genji, possessed.

In the society portrayed by Murasaki Shikibi, there is an importance on physical attributes for both men and women. The physical attribute that make men and women ideal in Genji Monogatari is one that is still heavily valued today, beauty. A prime example of this is, the main character and character that the tale is named after, Genji. Genji is written as an extremely beautiful and elegant being through the entire tale and his beauty is at such an extreme that both men and women fall before it. After taking a closer look, the emphasis for beauty by the society in Genji Monogatari was clearly displayed during the chapter of Yugao. In this chapter Genji grows gravely ill and at this time “the entire realm lamented that Genji, whose perfection of beauty already aroused apprehension, now seemed unlikely to live.” This statement, taken from Tyler’s translation of The Tale of Genji, is near the beginning of the story when all of Genji’s characteristics are not well known yet. The only thing the audience truly knows at thi...

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...portant backgrounds and personal traits that a woman must have to be ideal. In general, she must be very devoted to her lover, keeping him in her priority and always being considerate towards him, and must not be concerned with his treatment of her. As for men, the ideal traits were defined within Genji himself and included his love for those he devoted himself to despite appearance, and the natural gifts of elegance that he was bestowed. Together, the handbook for perfect beings was written and recorded in Japanese history, and surely influenced the Heian society that is was written for.

Works Cited

Citko, Malgorazata. Handout 8 – Heian Period. (Summer, 2011).

Smits. Topics in Medieval Japanese History. ch 8. Available online at http://www.east-asian-history.net/textbooks/480/ch8.htm

Tyler, Royall. The Tale of Genji. Penguin Classics. (2006). pp 18-86

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