Tale of Genji
Topic: Paths to Modernisation: Japan, China, Korea · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Paths to Modernisation"
Meaning
The Tale of Genji is a long work of fiction written by the court lady Murasaki Shikibu in the Heian period, c. 1000 CE. It reads like a fictionalised diary of life at the Heian imperial court, and it became the central work of Japanese fiction. It was written in Japanese script, not in Chinese. It shows the refined life of the aristocracy and the independence that court women had, for example in choosing husbands.
Example
In Tokugawa Japan (1603–1867), nativist scholars studied the Tale of Genji and the old myths of the Sun Goddess. These scholars wanted to find what was purely Japanese. They used such works to argue that Japan's own essence came before any Chinese influence.
Don't confuse with
- Hiragana: Hiragana is a script, one of Japan's two phonetic syllabaries. The Tale of Genji is a book. It is written in that script, which Heian women writers used so much that it was called "feminine".