page_title: Hikaru Genji
section_title: Life of Hikaru Genji in Tale of Genji
hierarchical_section_title: Hikaru Genji / Life of Hikaru Genji in Tale of Genji
caption_attribution_description: English: Copy of 17th-century portrait of Murasaki Shikibu, wearing the jūnihitoe, by Tosa Mitsuoki (1617–1691) Français&#160;: Copie de Tosa Mitsuoki (1617–1691). Portrait de Murasaki Shikibu, portant un jūnihitoe. Peinture, XVIIe siècle. Collection de la société Ishiyama. On rapporte que la poétesse Murasaki Shikibu s'étant retirée pour la prière, une nuit d'août, fut inspirée par le reflet de la pleine lune sur la surface du lac. C'est ainsi qu'elle se mit à écrire le Dit du Gengi.
context_page_description: Hikaru Genji is the protagonist of Murasaki Shikibu's important Heian-era Japanese novel The Tale of Genji. The story describes him as a superbly handsome man and a genius. Genji is the second son of a Japanese emperor, but he is relegated to civilian life for political reasons and lives as an imperial officer.
  The first part of the story concentrates on his romantic life, and in the second, his and others' internal agony is depicted. He appears from the first volume "Kiritsubo" to the 40th volume "Illusion".
  "Genji" is the surname as a noble demoted from royalty. His true given name is never referred to in the story, like most other characters. "Hikaru" means "shining", which is a nickname deriving from his appearance. He is also referred to as Rokujō no In, sometimes abbreviated as In. He is often called Genji when speaking of the story.
  He is a fictitious person but it is thought the author was inspired by some historical figures, including Minamoto no Tōru, who was a grandson of Emperor Saga, hence one of the Saga Genji clan.
context_section_description: The ages of characters are counted in kazoedoshi (数え年), as the story discusses.
  It is common to divide the tale into three parts, and this article follows that customary, but the division is not what's given by Lady Murasaki.
caption: Portrait of Murasaki Shikibu, the author of The Tale of Genji.
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