Essay on Genji
Genji and the Imperial society
Knowledge of a society's family system is essential to understanding that society. In the case of Japan, it is especially important because the family rather than the individual is considered to be the basic unit of society. Furthermore, the family plays an important role in determining individual life direction. Hikaru Genji, the son of the emperor from the classic work of japanese literature, “Tale of Genji” has a major role in this family. Being the second son of the emperor, Genji is thrusted into these imperial ways which evidently causes Genji’s path to turn in many unexpected directions. Unlike American society, less concerned with social class and power when determining social relationships, Japanese society demonstrated in Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji describes social relationships much more determined by class as well as power. The first chapter in Murasaki Shikibu’s book demonstrates this importance of social stature dealing with relationships. During an undetermined time in Japanese history an emperor who is unnamed falls in love with a strikingly beautiful lady named Kiritsubo. Despite the fact that this lady is of higher rank, she is not fully highborn and must remain a secret for the emperor. As their relationship continues to progress the imperial court eventually finds out about the emperor’s new favorite lady Kiritsubo. This does not sit well with the other royal wives, who are of higher social station, so they routinely speak against this upstart woman who holds the emperor's affections. The emperor is able to keep so many women at court because polygamy was allowed in Japan at the time that Murasaki Shikibu wrote this story. The emperor and many other men, including Genji, are able to be married to several women at once. This is another example of how our societies differ and why japanese families, especially that of the imperial or Yamato dynasty during the Heian period were much larger. As time goes
Knowledge of a society's family system is essential to understanding that society. In the case of Japan, it is especially important because the family rather than the individual is considered to be the basic unit of society. Furthermore, the family plays an important role in determining individual life direction. Hikaru Genji, the son of the emperor from the classic work of japanese literature, “Tale of Genji” has a major role in this family. Being the second son of the emperor, Genji is thrusted into these imperial ways which evidently causes Genji’s path to turn in many unexpected directions. Unlike American society, less concerned with social class and power when determining social relationships, Japanese society demonstrated in Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji describes social relationships much more determined by class as well as power. The first chapter in Murasaki Shikibu’s book demonstrates this importance of social stature dealing with relationships. During an undetermined time in Japanese history an emperor who is unnamed falls in love with a strikingly beautiful lady named Kiritsubo. Despite the fact that this lady is of higher rank, she is not fully highborn and must remain a secret for the emperor. As their relationship continues to progress the imperial court eventually finds out about the emperor’s new favorite lady Kiritsubo. This does not sit well with the other royal wives, who are of higher social station, so they routinely speak against this upstart woman who holds the emperor's affections. The emperor is able to keep so many women at court because polygamy was allowed in Japan at the time that Murasaki Shikibu wrote this story. The emperor and many other men, including Genji, are able to be married to several women at once. This is another example of how our societies differ and why japanese families, especially that of the imperial or Yamato dynasty during the Heian period were much larger. As time goes