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The sacred tree

Chapter 3: LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT PERSONS
By Murasaki Shikibu
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Classics of Literature

About This Book

Prefatory material presents authorial background, character lists, genealogies, and an essay on earlier Japanese fiction and the writer's art. The narrative continues an aristocratic courtier's fortunes: exile to Suma, a poignant liaison at Akashi that yields a daughter, episodes of return to court and retirement, and sequences focused on landscapes, seasonal symbolism, poetic contests and a painting competition. Recurring themes include desire, jealousy, impermanence, and the refinement of taste, while the prose emphasizes subtle emotion conveyed through seasonal imagery, court ritual, and the interplay of poetry and painting.

LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT PERSONS

(ALPHABETICAL)

Akashi, Lady of Daughter of the old recluse of Akashi.
Akikonomu, Lady Vestal Virgin at Ise; daughter of Rokujō.
Aoi, Princess Genji’s first wife.
Asagao, Princess Genji’s first-cousin; courted by him in vain.
Chūjō Short for ‘Tō no Chūjō.’
Chūjō, Lady Tō no Chūjō’s daughter by his legitimate wife.
Chūnagon Maid to Oborozuki.
Emperor, The Old Genji’s father.
Fujitsubo The Old Emperor’s consort; loved by Genji.
Genji, Prince The Old Emperor’s son by a concubine.
Gosechi, Lady Dancer at the winter festival; admired by Genji.
Hyōbukyō, Prince Fujitsubo’s brother; Murasaki’s father.
Iyo no Suke Husband of Utsusemi.
Jijū Maid to Suyetsumu.
Jōkyōden, Lady Consort of Suzaku.
Ki no Kami Son of Iyo no Suke by his first wife.
Kōkiden Original consort of the Old Emperor; supplanted first by Genji’s mother, then by Fujitsubo.
Koremitsu Retainer to Genji.
Murasaki Genji’s second wife.
Oborozukiyo, Princess Younger sister of Kōkiden.
Ōmyōbu Maid to Fujitsubo.
Reikeiden Lady-in-waiting at the Old Emperor’s Court.
Reikeiden, Princess Niece of Kōkiden.
Rokujō, Princess Widow of the Old Emperor’s brother.
Ryōzen, Emperor Son of Genji and Fujitsubo; successor to Suzaku.
Shōnagon Murasaki’s old nurse.
Sochi no Miya, Prince Genji’s half-brother.
Suyetsumu, Lady (Suyetsumuhana) Daughter of Prince Hitachi; the red-nosed lady.
Suzaku, Emperor Genji’s half-brother; successor to the Old Emperor.
Tō no Chūjō Brother of Genji’s first wife, Lady Aoi.
Ukon no Jō (Ukon) Faithful retainer to Genji; brother of Ki no Kami.
Utsusemi Wife of Iyo no Suke. Courted by Genji.
Village of Falling Flowers, Lady from the Sister of Reikeiden; protected by Genji.