http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3303.html

1Part 1MARRIAGE
FROM THE NARA TO THE HEIAN PERIOD
Yoshie, Akiko, and Janet R. Goodwin. Gender in Early Classical Japan: Marriage, Leadership,and Political Status in Village and Palace. Monumenta Nipponica 60.4 (2005)

Bilateral Society
Pre-7th century: BOTH your mother andfather’s family are important.
ß Records kept for both mother’s and father’sfamily back 3 or 4 generations.
ßWho is married?
No marriage ceremony!
ß Some couples were duolocal (visiting),
ß some uxorilocal (live with wife’s family),ß and some were virilocal (live with husband’sfamily).
ß Are couples in the Man’yoshu are married?
Maybe! Maybe not!
ßAcceptance of Patrilineal SystemTaika reforms in 645: “Children born
between free subjects belong to theirfather’s lineage”
th th centuries: People claimed
ß From the 8 -9
their previous records were a mistake andwanted to change their records to theirfather’s family not their mother’s.
ßPatriarchy
After 9th century: lineage records include
ONLY male children and their maleancestors.
ß Women were erased from historical records.
ßIe 家 Family Structure
Appeared during the Nara period
ß Chinese-based patrilineal, patrinomial
structureß Stable husband-wife relationshipß Marriage ceremonies
ß Patrilineal succession to political rank
ß Disappearance of the public role of women,
especially wivesßWomen’s Names
Post 9th century historical records:
ß Empresses (with male children)ß Women who never went to court were notrecorded in any official document. We haveno record of their names.
ßMurasaki Shikibu
The names of women in Genji are all nicknames
ß Shikibu = the name of the office where herfather worked
ß Murasaki = nickname given to Shikibu byFujiwara Kinto after she had begun writing Genjiß All of the women in the Tale of Genji are named
after flowers, where they live (or both), or whatorder they were born (first, second, third, etc)
ß

Heian Marriage Living Situations
By the Heian period, marriage had solidified
considerably, but the earlier variety of living
situations continued (uxorilocal, virilocal,neolocal).
ß Where the couple lived depended on:ßStrength of the couple’s relationshipÞ Position of primary wifeÞPrimary Wife Status
1) Parental Consent
ß 2) Publicly Celebrated Marriage Ceremonyß 3) Children, especially male children, morethan any other wives.
ß 4) Male children would receive promotions
based on father’s rankß 5) Female children would be married or sent
to court (Empress!)ßHeian Marriage Ceremony
The man signaled his interest with public poetic
courtshipß The mother/father would respondß A date would be set for the wedding according
to astrology/numerology
ß The man would visit three nights in a row (leave
before dawn).
ß Third night: the wife’s family would throw aparty and officially welcome the husband
ß Third morning: the husband would see finallysee his wife in the morningßPart 2NATIONAL TREASURE
TALE OF GENJI SCROLL

13

Author: Murasaki Shikibu, lady in waiting toEmpress Shoshi (wife of Emperor Ichijo)ß Date: Approx. 1008 AD
ß Legend: began writing at the Ishiyama Shrine
ß Contents:ßFirst Part: Genji’s youth and love affairs
Þ Second Part: Genji’s family successÞ Third Part: the love affairs of Genji’s descendents
Þ14What is the National Treasure Scroll?
The Scroll is an illustrated version ofexcerpts from the Tale of Genji.
thß The scroll was probably produced in the 12century. Not only are these images theoldest images of Genji, this is also the oldest
version of the written text.
ß Currently there exist about 20 pictures and
37 excerpts along with other small
fragments.
ß15

It is believed the scroll was begun in 1119,
for Empress Shoshi (Emperor Toba’s wife)th c. the daughter
ß It is possible that in the 13of Taira Kiyomori, Kenreimon-In (EmperorTakakura’s wife) may have owned the scroll.
ß After that… It is unsure how the scroll cameto belong to various museums and personalcollections
ß

16

Where are the parts of the Scroll?
ß

The Tokugawa Museum (Nagoya) owns 15 picturesand 28 calligraphy excerpts.
Þß

The Gotoh Museum (Tokyo) owns 4 pictures and 9
calligraphy excerpts:
Þß

The Bell Cricket (38), Evening Mist (39), The Law (40)

The Tokyo National Art Museum owns one picture:Þß

From A Waste of Weeds (15), At the Pass (16), Picture
Contest (17, calligraphy only), Oak Tree (36), Flute (37),
Bamboo River (44), Maiden of the Bridge (45), Bracken
Shoots (48), The Ivy (49), The Eastern Cottage (50)Young Murasaki (5)There are other small fragments in other museums
and private collections
17

What is the Tokugawa Museumß

http://www.tokugawa-art-museum.jp/usage/
getting-here/

The Tokugawa Museum
collection includes over
10,000 items passed
down from the Tokugawa
Daimyo family and items
inherited from the first
Shogun, Tokugawa
Ieyasu, 9 National
Treasures and 59
Important Cultural
Objects .

Nagoya18University

Part 3Scrolls from The Ivy (49) and The EasternCottage (50)

PRINCE NIOU’S LOVE STORY

19

The Ivy, Second Picture (National Treasure)
新版
徳川美
術館
蔵
品抄
２
﹃源氏物語絵巻﹄
１９９
５
年

His Highness was still better pleased when he saw his new lady bydaylight. Her height was perfect, and the length of her sidelocks andthe set of her head struck him as exceptionally lovely. (Tyler, 945)
20

The Ivy, Second Picture (Explanation)

On the third morning, Prince Niou (Genji’s Grandson) finallysees his bride for the first time and he is very pleased withher appearance.
21新版
徳
川
美術
館蔵
品抄
２
﹃源氏物語絵巻﹄１
９９５年

The Ivy, Second Picture (Reconstruction)﹃よみがえる
源氏物語絵巻
全巻復元に挑む﹄
NHK、
２
００６
年

However…
Prince Niou actually has another wife already who is pregnant.
22

The Ivy, Third Picture (National Treasure)
新版
徳川
美術
館蔵
品抄
２
﹃
源氏物語絵巻﹄１
９９５年

It was a piece in the oshiki mode, one so moving that she, who played the biwa,
too, could not long remain angry; instead she leaned on her armrest to peer at him
for a moment around her low curtain, in a manner so appealing that one longed tosee more (Tyler, 960)
23

The Ivy, Third Picture (Explanation)

Prince Niou has returned from his three night wedding at the Sixth
Princess’ home. His first wife, Naka-no-kimi has no family and lives in hisown residence and is dependent on him both materially and emotionally.
24

新版
徳川美術館
蔵
品抄
２
﹃源氏物語絵巻﹄１
９９５年

The Ivy, Third Picture (Reconstruction)﹃よみがえる
源氏
物
語絵巻
全巻
復
元に挑む﹄
NHK、
２
００６
年

Prince Niou is so charming that though Naka-no-kimi wishes to stay madat him she is drawn to his mastery of the instrument and leaning on anarmrest peers out at him.
There is a play on words interesting thing (koto) = instrument (koto).
25

Sixth Princess

Naka-no-Kimi

26

新版
徳
川
美術館
蔵
品抄
２
﹃源氏物
語絵巻﹄
１９９５年

The Eastern Cottage, First Picture (National Treasure)
新版
徳川
美術館
蔵品抄
２
﹃源氏物語絵巻﹄
１９９５
年

Her Higness talked to her very kindly. “Please do not feel as though you
are a stranger here,” she said. “I have so little forgotten my sister…, but it
is a great comfort to see you, who look so like her.” (Tyler, 994)
27

The Eastern Cottage, First Picture (Explanation)
新版
徳川
美術館
蔵
品抄
２
﹃源氏物語絵巻﹄
１９９５
年

Ukifune, who had been assaulted the previous day by Prince is reading tales while hersister looks on.
28

The Eastern Cottage, First Picture (Reconstruction)﹃よみがえる源氏物
語絵巻
全巻
復
元に挑む﹄
NHK、２
００６
年

“What a dear face! She thought. How can she possibly be so like her?
She must take after our father…”
The women who knew about the evening before went on whisperingcommiseratingly about it. “I wonder what happened.
She’s awfully pretty. No good will come of this for her, no matter how fond of her
Her Highness may be. The poor thing!”
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National Treasure Tale of Genji Illustrated Scroll

THANK YOU FOR YOUR
KIND ATTENTION
Nagoya University
Michelle Kuhn
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