Tale of Genji

¶ … Yuago" from "The tale of Genji"

In a world where each person is expected to marry whom ever they please, it may seem strange that two people who care deeply for each other must keep their relationship a secret. However, in Heian Japan society was extremely hierarchical and formal and relationships between individuals of different classes, was considered scandalous. Genji was a prince who fell in love with a commoner. He secretly visited her, arranged to have a house put aside to spend time with her, and when she unexpectedly died, he was heartbroken. However, due to the social constraints of the time, everything he did had to be kept secret. He couldn't express his grief in public or even acknowledge that he knew of her. He couldn't tell his family, friends, or household servants; his grief had to be disguised as an illness. Heian society was so class conscious and formal that even a Royal Prince could not openly be with the woman he loved, or show grief for her in public upon her death.

Heian society, being class oriented and highly conformist, regulated every aspect of life; including the relationships between men and women. In a society with a strict class structure, regulating relationships between members of different classes, it is not surprising that relations between the sexes were also highly structured. In any relationship between men and women, men were always the dominant partner. This can be exemplified in the tale of Genji when the text stated that Prince Genji, even though he had clearly demonstrated that he was captivated and utterly endeared to his lover, stated: "We cannot go on like this, parting always at the break of day" and his lover replied "Why have you suddenly come to this conclusion?" But then the text went on to add "she asked, but she spoke submissively." (Keene 118) Apparently women had their place in Heian society, it was, unfortunately for the women, to be passive toward men at all times. However, the tale of Genji seemed to reveal an exception to this rule. At the beginning of the chapter, Genji decided to visit his former nurse who had grown old and sick, and so had retired to a convent. It is clear from the interaction between the two that Genji treated this woman with a great deal of respect, and did so in front of others. He praised her service to him, stated that he wished he had come to see her more often, and even openly wept for the woman. (108-109) This would seem to indicate that when it came to older women, particularly family or other close personal acquaintances, it was proper to show respect, and even emotions for such persons regardless of their social class.

Heian society was highly regulated and hierarchical, and from this it can be concluded that the government was highly regulated and hierarchical. It is clear from the text that the Heian Japan was ruled by an Imperial government with an Emperor at the head. It would also seem clear that many of the official posts of the government are filled with aristocratic men. Prince Genji himself, the son of the Emperor by a lower concubine, held a government post. It is also clear that Heian Japan's dominant religious belief was Buddhism. There are many examples of Buddhist rites and traditions throughout the text. For example, it was described that in the depths of his grief, Genji prayed "…inwardly to the Buddha," (132) and later when the Emperor mistakenly thought Genji ill, the Emperor ordered "…continual prayers to be said for him in all the major temples." The Emperor appears to be following Buddhist religious practices, and if the Emperor was Buddhist, then Buddhism must be the dominant religion.