We, Hibiki-an have collaborated with Zenshoh Yamaoka, who is the leading expert of paintings derived from masterpieces in the middle ages and acclaimed Kyo Yaki artisan, to release a series of Matcha bowls featuring the Tale of Genji. There are 54 stories in the Tale of Genji, and Zenshoh Yamaoka selected 12 stories, one suitable for each month of the year, arranged by season. Since the setting of the story is the Imperial Palace, all drawings are quite gorgeous. We will introduce detailed story in the next chapter.

It is said that the Tale of Genji is the oldest novel in the world. Written by noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu of the Japanese Imperial Court, this novel is composed of 54 stories and more than 800 WAKA Japanese poems, so you can imagine that its story is very long.

The work recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, from his birth to death, and afterward. His appearance was so beautiful and he had such a talent for writing, especially poems, that women were drawn to him. Since polygamy was an accepted practice at that time, he had many relationships, and eventually had a relationship with a woman who was part of the family of the political opposition in the Imperial Palace. He was condemned, and left the palace.
While he was away from the Imperial Court, a series of misfortunes happened. It was said that the cause of these misfortunes was related to Hikaru Genji's departure. The Emperor requested his return to the Imperial Court and installed Hikaru Genji and his son as the next Emperor. He was at the height of his prosperity. When Hikaru Genji left the palace, he had a relationship with a woman who then gave birth to his child. He asked the mother and baby to live in the palace when he returned to the palace. He cherished his daughter and was kind to the many women he loved. When he returned to the Imperial Court, he prepared rooms for these women in the palace, meaning that the women spent their lives in great luxury.
However, an acquaintance of Hikaru Genji had a relationship with Genji's wife, much like Genji had done in his younger age. And his dearest wife also passed away, and thus he decided to become a monk.

This classical literature not only tells us about the real aristocracy of those days, and the rise and fall of Hikaru Genji, but also describes each characters' mind precisely. Adding to that, this story lasts for 70 years, and such a long story does not exist in any other Japanese classical literature. The Tale of Genji is regarded as a truly spectacular story. Its story not only focuses on the historical background but also on feelings of characters by the use of WAKA, which is Japanese poem. Murasaki Shikibu, who is the author of the Tale of Genji expertly depicted the delicate and nuanced emotions of each character. It is one of the reasons why her novel has been loved by not only people of her own time period, but also by modern readers around the world.

The Tale of Genji is regarded as one of the best classic literatures in Japan and throughout the world. There are four main points to make this novel famous.

First of all, the authentic love of Hikaru Genji is expressed in this story. Polygamy was an accepted practice at that time, and men, especially noblemen had many wives, and had children only for political gain. Though he got married and had a baby, he did not treat those whom he had loved with contempt. If Hikaru Genji heard that a woman needed financial support, he prepared a room in the palace to give her a comfortable and elegant life. He was very kind and devoted to them. In this way, his dedication toward women in this story is valued, when situated in the historical context of the cultural norms at that time.

WAKA, which is Japanese traditional poem is also one of the main points in this novel. WAKA was used to express the magnificent scenery or people's emotion within 31 letters. Both men and women in the Imperial Palace were not allowed to see each other’s faces until they got married during this period, so that men could not speak to women directly. Instead, WAKA was one of the communication tools, and they practiced how to make good WAKA. In the Tale of Genji, over 800 WAKA were composed, but not all WAKA were refined. By writing various levels of WAKA, the author, Murasaki Shikibu, aimed to express each person’s characteristics, such as a woman whose writing and expression is childish. Hikaru Genji expressed the beauty of nature and the season, his emotion very well in WAKA, and women were attracted by his works. Adding to that, when women received WAKA, they also had to answer their emotion by WAKA, which is called HENKA. Each correspondent imagined what the other was like in person through this form of communication, and tried to express their love with limited number of characters. Many famous WAKA were recited in this literature, and all of them illustrate the psychological description very well.

This story also talks about the rise and fall of Hikaru Genji. Even though he left the Imperial Court, he came back to the Court again, and climbed all the way up and finally came to power. However, he outlived his dearest wife. Although it seemed he had everything, such as status, talent and intelligence, he lost his beloved wife before his life ended. Through his life, Murasaki Shikibu tried to convey not only the elegance of the Imperial Court of those days but also the impermanence of things. Everything changes with time, and she focused on this fact, especially on the impermanence of the human condition.

Finally, Murasaki Shikibu conveys one of the Buddhist tenets in this story. When Hikaru Genji was young, he had a relationship with his mother-in-law, and she gave birth to a baby. Her husband did not know that his baby was between his son and mother-in-law. When Hikaru Genji grew up and had a family, his second wife had a relationship with his acquaintance, and she gave birth to a baby. When he found out, he noticed that what he had done in the past fell on him, and he experienced the fear of retribution, what we call Karma in the Buddhist world. It is a cautionary tale that teaches readers to avoid doing harm to others, otherwise they may experience some karmic retribution in the future.

Murasaki Shikibu is the author of the Tale of Genji. She was born on or around A.D. 978. Since her family was of a high level in the Imperial Court, she received an excellent education in writing, music and so forth. It is said that she started to write the story around 1008, and finished writing around 1022. Through this book, she describes the life of aristocracy, the romance in the Imperial Court, and political dispute. It is said that her novel is the oldest long classical literature in the world. Her novel not only has an influence on posterity literature but also on painting art and other art fields. Painters of those days read and drew its story on EMAKI picture scroll. Her novel was superior to any other literature, especially for the expression of a description of nature and character description. Her novel is recognized as one of the best masterpiece in the history of Japanese literature.

The Tale of Genji was translated into English by the scholar Arthur Waley and this version is highly regarded throughout the world. The original is very difficult even for Japanese to understand due to archaic language. If you would like to read more of the story, please refer to the below edition.

Title: THE TALE OF GENJI
Translated by: Arthur Waley
Publishing company: TUTTLE PUBLISHING (R)

Zenshoh Yamaoka was born in 1942. He worked under Zenjiroh Ueyama for 10 years, and then opened his own Zenshoh kiln in 1969.
His paintings derived from masterpieces in the middle ages are excellent. It is said his precise drawing techniques are in a class of their own. Indeed, he was officially designated as a traditional craftsman by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2002. His sophisticated, exquisite, elegant, and advanced drawing techniques receive high acclaim in the Kyo Yaki pottery industry.