Kiritsubo　桐壷

KEY WORD :　art history / paintingｓ

A pictorial subject based on the opening Chapter, "The Paulownia Court" Kiritsubo of GENJI MONOGATARI 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji). The Kiritsubo Emperor's favorite court attendant, the Lady Kiritsubo, gives birth to a prince, but the jealousy of the mother of the First Prince forces Lady Kiritsubo from court. She soon dies. The child, having no support at court, is, for his own safety, removed from the line of succession and given to a family named Minamoto 源. This character, the Shining Genji or Hikaru Genji 光源氏, is the central hero of The Tale of Genji. At twelve, after celebrating his coming of age, Genji is wed to *Aoi 葵, the daughter of the Minister of the Left, Sadaijin 左大臣, the second most important of the three principal ministers, having responsibility for the affairs of the Imperial Palace. However, Genji falls in love with Fujitsubo 藤壷, who has recently entered his father's court and who is said to resemble Genji's dead mother. Scenes chosen for illustration include: Lady Kiritsubo sending her final poem to the emperor; the emperor mourning the lady's absence and imminent death (both set in autumn); Genji's interview at age seven with a Korean physiognomist; and his coming of age ceremony. The episodes centering around Genji's clandestine love for Fujitsubo are almost never treated.

REFERENCES:

*genji-e 源氏絵

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NOTES:

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