#genjimonogatari series

[maiji]

[images: 1) Screenshot of Maiji/Mary Huang's exhibitor page on the TCAF Digital Marketplace, with a creator bio, followed by products. 2) Photo of Now Recharging Books 1, 2 and 3 showing the main robot characters in different states of eyes-closed rest in ink and watercolour with gold foil stamping; 3) Surprise! zine & print pack preview showing an assortment of artbooks, zines, and prints; 4) Surprise! Genjimonogatari print set showing an assortment of ink illustrations from the series.]

It's the wonderful month of TCAF - the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, one of my favourite events! Showcasing 700+ comics, zines, graphic novels, art prints, and other amazing items from 90+ artists, publishers, and comics creators from all over the world!

The physical festival takes place April 29-30, but the TCAF Digital Marketplace runs from April 21 to May 7!

It's super amazing because you can explore and shop from all of these creators in one place instead of dealing with separate online stores/shipping. You can imagine this is such an impressive thing to coordinate, and so great for small indie creators and the readers who support them alike!

Shop page Direct link to my exhibitor shop page

In my shop, you'll find the print debut of Now Recharging Book 3, and lots of other comics, zines and print goodies. Including surprise packs with great deals!

In celebration, I'm also doing a show special on the Genjimonogatari deck! You can use the coupon code TCAF2023 for a 15% discount while TCAF 2023 Digital Marketplace is on!

[image set: Pair of images. 1) genjimonogatari deck mint tin case with ink and watercolour art and calligraphy resting on gold washi/Japanese paper with plum blossom designs. 2) The case next to two cards featuring ink and watercolour illustrations lying next to a stack of the rest of the cards in the deck, also on the same gold washi. A ruler appears alongside for size comparison.]

Signal boosts appreciated! <3 Please check out this event, virtually or in person, if you can!

[skyflyinginaction]

the womans names and what they mean in the tale of genji

I want to ask about the names of the woman in the novel and what they represent, on what the flower and nature of the names are symbols used to represent on their personality and fates in the novel.

Aoi (葵) Hollyhock

Murasaki (紫) Gromwell or Lavender

Ustusemi (空蝉) locust shell

Hanachirusato (花散里) the village where the orange blossoms fall.

Oborozuki (朧月夜) misty moon

Suetsumuhana (末摘花) safflower

Akikonomu Chugu (秋好中宮) the lady who loves autumn

Kiritsubo (桐壺) The Paulownia Court

Fujitsubo (藤壺) wisteria

Tamakazura (玉鬘) jewled Clematis

Yugao (夕顔) moonflower

Asagao (朝顔) The Morning Glory

Kumoi no Kari (雲居の雁) goose flying in the fog

Ukifune (浮舟) A Boat Set Adrift

[maiji]

[images: photos of the genjimonogatari art/card deck showcasing 1) the cover of the mint tin container; 2) the mint tin open with back of card lying on the lid and Flower of Purple card on the top of the pile; 3) rows of the cards laid out neatly; 4) the cards with Moon Above the Gate card on top; 5) a hand holding the cards from the side to show their edges and the trim of the art]

It’s here!! Yaaaay!!

Years of reading, rereading, drawing and obsessing later, I'm super excited to be able to say that the genjimonogatari card deck is a reality!

It's a portable mini-art deck featuring all 55 illustrations I created in the Genjimonogatari series from 2018 to 2022 in ink and watercolour and comes in a cute little mint tin. You can enjoy it as a straightforward visual art deck, or use it as a tool to help deepen your understanding of the many fascinating themes and relationships in the Tale of Genji - and as a playable deck for fun minigames!

If you check out the product page, there's a companion PDF booklet - for free, you don't need to buy the physical deck to be able to download and read it!

It includes:

A high-level introduction to the Tale of Genji and why it's so amazing

Ideas and examples for using the deck as a tool and to create/play an assortment of simple Tale of Genji-themed games

An overview of all 55 cards by illustration accompanied by my amateur attempt at compressing the richness of every single character down to one very short paragraph each to help you get to know them

A big thank you to @ancient-trees (who creates a wonderful fantasy adventure webcomic called Tamuran) for helping me to review the booklet. (Any mistakes are my own. If you find any horrible glaring typos/issues in the booklet, let me know and I will do my best to update/correct where possible. I have spent way too long flipping back and forth on footnotes and commentary and references... so grateful for Royall Tyler's detailed footnotes and appendices!)

[maiji]

[images: 1) Preview sample of Genjimonogatari series cards with symbols that look like red stamped seals. 2) Screenshot of file folder with art files of the packaging, card back, card front files. 3) Screenshot of Affinity Publisher with page layouts of the accompanying booklet]

I've been working on something different: a card deck for the Genjimonogatari illustration series! It can be used as an art deck or as the base for a selection of simple Tale of Genji-themed games. I'm also putting together a companion booklet (PDF download only) to go with the cards. The booklet will provide context/background, starter game ideas and instructions, and summaries of all the characters featured in the illustrations!

Below the cut is my progress, originally posted on my Pillowfort.

I’ve really wanted to turn the Genjimonogatari illustration series into a card deck ever since the overall direction became apparent to me. My ambitions for this are quite low; the main reason I’m doing this is because I would like a card deck to play with and create different combinations and pairings in a way that isn’t feasible with a static artbook or prints intended for display. Something that can be used for portable aesthetic appreciation/inspiration as well as very simple little Tale of Genji-themed games.

When the lovely @delphina2k​ told me a while back about Game Crafter, a POD (print-on-demand) service for game designers, I got super excited. Surfing through their catalogue, I discovered they have a mint tin card deck option that fits exactly 55 cards. I was smitten by how small and cute it is. Look at it!!

In addition to the card deck, I’m also putting together an accompanying booklet - a PDF-only download to keep costs down and things simple. It'll provide a bit of background and context for the Tale of Genji, and explain how to come up with simple games using the cards with a few starter ideas and instructions. The games can become more complex/interesting with more knowledge of the story and characters. There will also be a summary of each illustration, listing the characters featured and a significantly condensed/cleaned-up version of some of my commentary from each illustration post. I am very grateful to past me for writing so many walls of text when I originally posted every picture, as it’ll be easier to cull down some of those thoughts than to reread the entire Tale of Genji and write them anew… it’s pretty funny rereading some of my random or sarcastic comments about the characters and the story, haha.

What actually took the most time with getting this card deck together was deciding on symbols and who gets what. The idea is that some cards will have these marks that can be used in different games for special rules or scoring or whatnot. There are three basic symbols:

“Destiny” (star/sparkles) - people associated with prophecies or special destinies in the story

“Imperial” (a chrysanthemum, inspired by the imperial crest of Japan) - royal people who thus have super special significant social status - emperors, empresses, princes, princesses etc.

“Key” (a simple key shape) - main characters and select prime plot movers

Here’s an example of how it looks on the Niou and Kaoru cards, and on the super powerful OTP of the gods card (the only one that will have all three symbols). 

[image: same image as the first one in this post. Left to right: His Highness of War with Imperial and Key symbols; Fragrance with Destiny and Key symbols; Present Day with Destiny, Imperial and Key symbols.]

At first I thought the imperial designation was going to be the hardest to figure out due to complicated Heian era court society rules and my lack of expertise, but then the deeper I got into it the more I was contorting myself over trying to decide which characters count as “key” without basically slapping it on nearly every card. Since the Tale of Genji doesn't exactly follow the structure or characterization techniques of a typical Western novel, and is so long with so many characters, things get blurry... I debated with myself for a long time, constantly changing my mind over days and weeks, before finally settling (I think) on a list and now I don’t want to think about it anymore. I’m putting a lot of disclaimers in the booklet that this is only one limited interpretation. Hooray for disclaimers…

Currently the symbols affect approximately 32/55 cards. To test my ideas out, I cut some scrap paper into teeny tiny cards and ran a few test games with them to make sure things made sense and were workable. While playing I actually found some interesting patterns and relationships with the characters I wouldn’t have thought about otherwise!

[image: Photo of small handmade paper card mockups in a pile next to a pencil for scale. The paper cards have the info of each card written messily in pencil.]

It’s my first time trying something like this, and I hope it works out! After months of hemming and hawing and fiddling with card back designs, I finally sent off my files today and am looking forward to seeing how they turn out in a month or so! (Production and shipping challenges continue to abound through the industry…) In the meantime, I'll keep working on finishing the booklet. Fingers crossed on all fronts!

[maiji]

All 55 illustrations of the Genjimonogatari series in one collage!

One of the main ideas behind this series is that you can combine the illustrations in different ways to showcase various relationships, thematic groupings, and key narrative connections. Many of the illustrations were designed with these potential groupings in mind, so you’ll notice things like similar or mirrored/complementary compositions and colour palettes. These groupings make great print displays or inspirations! For me personally, it’s also a fun way to learn, reinforce and even discover new things about this rich literary masterpiece!

Read on for some groupings! https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/2717844

See the full list of illustrations

All illustrations available as prints on INPRNT (my INPRNT shop / direct link to the Genjimonogatari series collection)

All profits from my INPRNT sales go to charity.

[maiji]

Watchfulness and Resourcefulness, 2021

Something that’s easy to forget, especially when reading the Tale of Genji from a modern perspective, is that the characters are rarely “alone”. Though the text may not explicitly indicate this, the main characters we follow are usually accompanied by retainers, servants, and so on. The cast is huge, as befitting a courtly world full of complex family and social relationships. Many “background” characters do a ton of grunt work in propelling the story's events, bringing news (or gossip); transporting, hiding or impeding people; and so on.

I found that even though a lot of characters appear so briefly, I had a strong sense of them as people, with their own stories. That I was just seeing tiny slices of them. Maybe it’s because of the tale’s framing, that someone's telling you about all these events with side commentary. Maybe it’s because, more than once, one of these seemingly fleeting mentions reappears later, with a lot more presence. So I came to feel that anybody could easily burst to the forefront of the narrative; it was just a matter of perspective. As I noted before, whenever I browse the Tale of Genji again, I frequently run into people with fits of recognition from the future, because I didn’t pay attention to them the first (or second, or third) time around: “Hey! That guy who appears later, this is him as a kid, singing! I didn’t realize he shows up way before his more narratively-famous brother!!” (Kobai, little brother of the notorious Kashiwagi.) “Oh I didn’t realize this lady appeared so early before I actually noticed her!” (Hanachirusato, who by the time I started paying attention was already living in Genji’s house.)

Obviously I do not have the time nor willpower to depict everyone, though quite a few of the less prominent folks did make it into some of my other illustrations because I love obscure characters. For everyone I didn’t catch, these two images represent all of those wonderful consequential and incidental figures who create the rich fabric that is the Tale of Genji. A world long ago, yet remarkably familiar.

Below the cut are a random smattering of people I thought about as I was working on these pieces. There are, of course, so many more!

These are the third- and second-last illustrations in the Genjimonogatari series - #52 and #53 in a 54-illustration set I've been working on intermittently since 2018. Wow, I can’t believe it! Only one more illustration left! The last one will feature a very, very special character.

humangray.com / Print available on INPRNT / Genjimonogatari series

Taifu no Myobu. I kind of think of her as the female Koremitsu, because her mom is also one of Genji’s nursemaids. She seems pretty close to Genji, though she only appears in one chapter. Their relationship is more casual, “hang out ‘cause we want to”, and at one point Genji even worries about how she must be judging him based on his treatment of another woman he’s pursuing. The two of them come off more like brother and sister to me, especially in Yamato Waki’s depiction. They hassle each other about their relationship habits, and he keeps bothering her to introduce him to more women. She tells him about Suetsumuhana basically to get him off her back.

Jijiu. She serves Suetsumuhana and appears in two chapters, is a smart cookie and not afraid to take initiative. She verbally answers Genji on behalf of Suetsumuhana when the latter is too shy and nervous to respond, surprising him by how boldly she speaks as her mistress. The chapter when she’s forced to leave Suetsumuhana is very touching. The historical AU fanfic Inaka Genji actually blends Jijiu and Suetsumuhana together, flipping their characters around as one of AU detective Genji's counterplots. I personally find Murasaki Shikibu’s original approach more nuanced and real, but Inaka Genji was meant to be a fun ride, and I thought it was interesting to see that take.

Ukon. One of many Ukons in the story, as lots of serving ladies have similar nicknames. She serves Yugao and then Murasaki after Yugao’s death. Her miraculous reunion with Yugao’s daughter Tamakazura many years later in a chance encounter is very memorable, and was listed by some historical fans as a top scene when answering ancient memes about favourite Tale of Genji moments.

Michisada, Nakanobu, and Tokikata. These guys are very special because those are their actual names! They’re not high-born nobles and aristocrats so the narrator calls them by name. Michisada and Tokikata are Niou’s retainers, while Nakanobu is Kaoru’s retainer. Funnily enough Nakanobu is also Michisada’s father-in-law. Must’ve been extra awkward when Niou and Kaoru were trying to keep Ukifune away from each other… I read a paper or a book that basically described these guys as Niou and Kaoru’s thugs, which cracked me up. I feel like it was Tyler or Seidensticker who said this, but I can’t remember.

Hyotoda the Bungo Deputy. His father, Dazai no Shoni (the Dazaifu Assistant) was the husband of Yugao’s nurse, who took care of Tamakazura after her mother Yugao disappeared. Before dying, the Dazaifu Assistant asks his three sons to help get Tamakazura back to the city where she might find her father To no Chujo. Hyotoda is the only one who dedicates himself to this, working with his mom and sisters to protect Tamakazura from getting married off to Taifu no Gen and escorting her safely away. Yamato Waki depicts him as a very kindly-looking and caring man, weeping and thinking of the family he had to leave behind in order to fulfil his duty.

[maiji]

Nest of Protection, 2022 巣守 - Sumori

Sumori (“Nest of Protection”) is the granddaughter of Prince Hotaru, Genji’s younger half-brother, but you won't find her in a single line of the novel we know today as the Tale of Genji.

You will find her in the apocryphal chapter “Sumori”.

For hundreds of years there have been writings floating around claiming to be secret or “lost” chapters of the Tale of Genji. Many fakes, of course, but it’s not an impossible idea. A thousand years is a long time, and the tale was written and shared as it was being created. Distribution was a super manual process of copying, and there were certainly errors, edits and tweaks by the author (or authors, depending on what theories you subscribe to) and by the copyists. The Tale of Genji we have today is remarkably coherent in no small part thanks to the diligence of centuries of fans.

There are three chapters generally considered to have higher-than-average likelihood of being legit parts of the Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu. Of these, Sumori appears to be the best documented. It exists only in fragments today, but these fragments contain people and pieces of poetry that are actually mentioned in some very, very old critiques and analyses of the Tale of Genji - including genealogies that map out the relationships of the characters. Such references have aided in its partial reconstruction. The gist of the pieced-together plot is that Niou is pursuing Sumori, who can’t stand him and his philandering ways. She falls in love with Kaoru instead because he's so noble and sincere. When Niou tries to go after her again, she's like "get away from me you creep" and runs away to the mountains, where Kaoru visits her.

There are several theories about what Sumori really is. One is that it’s a Kamakura-period fanfic written by a Kaoru fan unhappy with how the Uji chapters ended. If this theory is true, it’s a classic move in the long-running history of fandom, and it wouldn’t have been the only historical fanfic attempting to right perceived wrongs against a beloved character. (Go Team Kaoru!)

Another interesting hypothesis is that Sumori is actually an early draft of what would later be polished into the Uji chapters. It has quite a few similarities and parallels, particularly Niou and Kaoru in a love triangle with a woman who then becomes a nun. If this theory is true, it’s intriguing that the original concept is a lot more sympathetic and favourable to Kaoru - giving him a “good” ending - than the version we know today, 1,000 years later.

Fascinating, right? As a creator and participant/appreciator of fandoms, Sumori sums up so many things I love about stories in general and Tale of Genji studies in particular!

You can read more about the "lost" chapters of the Tale of Genji here: https://yab.yomiuri.co.jp/adv/chuo/dy/research/20100204.html

Reading the Tale of Genji is a fantastic resource for this and many other Tale of Genji apocrypha: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/reading-the-tale-of-genji/9780231537209

And aaaahhhhhhh I did it!! Nearly five years later, the Genjimonogatari series is now complete! For fun, I've included some wip photos showing the progress of this particular piece, including my trying to figure out the palette from looking at my fountain pen ink swatches, on my Pillowfort!

You can see all 55 illustrations one for each chapter of the tale (including the blank chapter Kumogakure), on my website. The commentary for each illustration is here on Tumblr and on Pillowfort!

Now… I hope to do something with all these illustrations… when I have time...

humangray.com / Print available on INPRNT / Genjimonogatari series

[maiji]

[images: Three photos showcasing various groupings with the Genjimonogatari art/game card deck. The cards are laid on top of a print of a painting with clouds of gold leaf, dancers in costume and flowering trees]

I've been playing with fun groupings with the genjimonogatari deck! Here are a few I haven't mentioned or shared previously! See below the cut for more info as well as some thoughts about the making of the illustrations themselves, and links for more info on the deck!

Suzaku's Story Makes Me Sad So Here He Is With the All the Women He Loved But Lost Because of Genji: Aoi, Oborozukiyo, Akikonomu, and of course Suzaku. When illustrating them, I purposefully made sure all of them were facing in the opposite direction Suzaku was facing. Oborozukiyo, his true love, was the one that I really concentrated on making a complement to his card, aiming for a bit of a "sun and moon" kind of feel. Akikonomu needed to match Reizei, but her colours work really well with Suzaku. In Aoi's case, I thought a lot about having her work as a triad with the Rokujo Lady and Yugao.

Maiji's Favourite Illustrations: Utsusemi, Nokiba no Ogi, Kurodo no Shosho, Tamakazura, Yokawa no Souzu. All of the illustrations were challenging in their own ways. It's easier for me to feel satisfied with the project as a whole than with each illustration, because the bigger picture perspective helps me be less focused on (obsessed with?) all the minute issues I have with every individual piece. But now that I've finished the series, I feel like I can be a little more objective - or at least more objective than when I was working on them! These five are probably my favourite illustrations from the series, and in many cases, they are more minor characters. Not too surprising - fewer expectations means less pressure. Utsusemi (Cicada Shell) and Nokiba no Ogi (Reeds Beneath the Eaves) were probably my biggest pleasant surprise; I love how they turned out as separate artworks, and as a pair!

Maiji's Favourite Characters: Kaoru, Suzaku, Koremitsu, Akashi Lady, Hanachirusato. Aaaaand Yugiri, who's falling off at the end because I'm still sometimes conflicted about him. But to be honest it's really that one Yugiri chapter... Can you see a pattern in the kinds of characters I like? haha. I would have put Kaoru in "Maiji's Favourite Illustrations" as well, but part of me feels like it's mostly because I have a hard time distinguishing between my personal bias for the character and how well I actually think the illustration was executed. Hanachirusato was the very first illustration in the entire series, and I was pretty happy with how she turned out... otherwise I probably wouldn't have continued with the rest! I also like Koremitsu's quite a bit as well, especially in terms of how the patches of ink break in ways that make me think of dapplings of light or rain. The inspiration is the scene in Chapter 15 Yomogiu (Waste of Weeds) when he makes his way through all the dew-drenched weeds to the house.

The full illustration series: http://www.humangray.com/genjimonogatari-series/

The card deck: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/genjimonogatari

Individual prints on INPRNT - for charity

The background in these photos is the back of The Tale of Genji - A Japanese Classic Illuminated, featuring Tosa Mitsuyoshi's depiction of Chapter 24 Kochi/Butterflies. You can see more about this series here. The book is actually the exhibit catalogue for a glorious exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art back in 2019, an incredible showcase of fandom history across a millennium from Buddhist artifacts to manga. There were even rare objects on display for the first time outside of Japan from Ishiyamadera, the temple where, according to legend, Murasaki Shikibu wrote the novel. I sadly wasn't able to see it in person but the catalogue itself is also quite glorious.

[maiji]

River of Tears, 2021 弁の君/弁の尼 Ben no Kimi/Ben no Ama

As with Omiya for illustration #51, I struggled with the decision of drawing Ben no Kimi for #52. And similarly again, as soon as I started working on it, it felt like it couldn’t have been any other character. How could I have ever considered not including her!

Ben no Kimi plays a pivotal role in the Uji chapters in general and in Kaoru’s life in particular. An elderly servant of Hachi no Miya/the Eighth Prince, she weeps at the sight of Kaoru during one of his visits, confusing him. He eventually learns that the tears are because she's the keeper of the secret of his birth. She's the daughter of the nurse of his real father (Kashiwagi), and has been safekeeping the incriminating letters Kashiwagi wrote to the Third Princess before he died that reveal the truth of Kaoru's parentage.

Following this startling revelation, Kaoru frequently chats with and writes to Ben no Kimi, and Oigimi also mentally observes at one point that the two of them seem to get along really well. After Oigimi’s death, Ben no Kimi becomes a nun (hence the change in her character reference to “Ben no Ama”), and Kaoru converts Prince Hachi’s old home into a temple where she stays. He checks in on her periodically and they have long conversations together. It’s sad that they were primarily connected through two tragedies, but I really liked the friendship between them.

While looking for appropriate imagery for this piece, I found a pair of poems exchanged between Ben no Kimi and Kaoru in the Sawarabi chapter, where she makes reference to a river of tears and Kaoru then echoes the imagery in his reply. I’ve blended both the visuals of tree roots (a reference to Kashiwagi as the oak tree, and Kaoru), the bundle with Kashiwagi’s letters, and a branching river.

Three more illustrations to go…!!! I’m so excited, this series that I started back in 2018 is nearing completion…! As much as I tried to keep a consistent approach, there's definitely been deviations and evolutions, so it’s interesting seeing how that has taken shape over the years…

humangray.com / Print available on INPRNT

[maiji]

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to post a new set of these! 

Chujo no Kimi groupings:

With her daughter Ukifune

With Ukifune’s father, the Eighth Prince

Her dream of Ukifune and Kaoru getting married u_u

Genjimonogatari series / Prints available on INPRNT

[maiji]

A few possible groupings with the Omiya illustrations:

With her grandson Yugiri

With her granddaughter Kumoi no Kari

With her children Toh no Chujo and Aoi

Genjimonogatari series / Prints available on INPRNT

[maiji]

Her Grand Highness, 2021 大宮 Omiya There are (were) 5 illustrations left in this series! The subjects of the final 3 are fully set! The last two undecided illustrations I waffled over forever... before settling on Omiya for one of them, #51 / 55. After I started working on this, I wondered how I could ever have considered not including her. Though I think of her as a “minor” character, it’s such a fine and arbitrary line in many cases. She has quite a significant role in the Tale of Genji, interacting with many of the key players and having a major impact on their lives. Omiya is a lady of very noble birth and many, many connections. She’s the Kiritsubo Emperor’s sister (full - the same mother as well); the Minister of the Left’s wife; Toh no Chujo and Aoi’s mother; Genji’s aunt and mother-in-law; and grandmother to Yugiri, Kumoi no Kari and Tamakazura. I think of her as a peacemaker and mediator - she is frequently stuck between forceful personalities and egos having arguments that really just frustrate peoples’ lives, including their own. The presence of this gentle, grand, very reasonable lady softens some of that harshness. More thoughts on Omiya, and the other character whose illustration I really wanted hers to work well with, at https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/2194916

Genjimonogatari series / Print available on INPRNT

[maiji]

Here’s how the grouping looks if you want to do “Taifu no Gen in pursuit of Tamakazura”!

And in the second row, if you, like me, got a kick out of the Inaka Genji’s AU interpretation of the story, you can also do “AU Taifu no Gen in pursuit of AU Tamakazura, but actually about to get his ass handed to him by AU Yugiri shortly”!

Genjimonogatari series / Print available on INPRNT

[maiji]

Moon Above the Gate, 2020 横川僧都 Yokawa no Souzu (Monk, Priest, High Priest, Prelate, Bishop etc. of Yokawa) Photo: The inks in this piece have a cool sheen effect that the scan doesn't capture!

The Bishop of Yokawa is a revered Buddhist monk with renowned healing powers and a calm head on his shoulders. When his disciples stumble upon Ukifune passed out in the woods at night, they freak out because they think she’s a fox in disguise. They go running to the bishop to exorcise the demon and he’s like, “She looks human. Pretty sure she’s human. How about let’s take her in before she dies.” Practical and fatherly, he welcomes Ukifune into the fold of his community with no judgment on whatever her past may be. (Though it probably helped that the bishop’s sister, who became a nun after losing her child, is super excited that “Buddha sent me a new daughter to take care of!!”)

When Ukifune decides she wants to become a nun and cut her hair - an outrageous thing for a young woman to do in the Heian era, because it means you’re turning your back on this world to prepare for the next - the group around her is generally horrified and against it. But the bishop speaks with Ukifune directly to make sure she’s truly committed before helping her take her vows himself, and encourages her in her practice. It’s only when he discovers Kaoru is looking for Ukifune that he questions his own judgment (“oops, didn’t realize she was connected to so many important people, maybe I was too hasty”). But even then, he doesn’t give up supporting Ukifune’s decision, and still leaves it up to Ukifune to decide for herself what she wants to do.

The title of this piece comes from a conversation where he discusses the difficulties of leaving the material world behind, and references a poem by Bai Juyi. It’s commonly believed that this character was actually based on a real person: Genshin/Eshin Souzu, an influential figure in the development of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism.

Genjimonogatari series / Print available on INPRNT

[maiji]

All 44 illustrations from the Genjimonogatari series to date! I've illustrated pretty much all the most famous characters so it's all obscure people from here - my favourite thing! Haha One of the fun things about this series is the ability to mix and match different combinations of characters to create thematic groupings, like family members, roles, narrative relationships and more. You can see all the images in the Genjimonogatari series tag, where you can also find my long rambles and various thematic groupings! 

Prints are available through my @inprnt shop! All print profits go to charity ♥️

[maiji]

The Left and the Right, 2020 左大臣 (Sadaijin) and 右大臣 (Udaijin)

Sadaijin (Minister of the Left) and Udaijin (Minister of the Right) were the two most prominent non-imperial government positions in Heian era Japan. These were powerful, influential men with significant sway over the Emperor and the government of the realm. There was one more role above these two Ministers: Daijodaijin, translated as Chancellor, Chief Minister, Grand Minister of State, you get the idea. According to Royall Tyler’s notes on the various titles in the Tale of Genji, the Daijodaijin was “above actual administration” (sounds a lot like “above doing actual work” to me), intended for a person of exemplary nature, and mostly honorary instead of functional.

The Sadaijin and Udaijin tend to represent different political views or factions, creating a kind of power balance or tension. For much of the major parts of the Tale of Genji, the Left is represented by To no Chujo’s father (big fan of Genji), while the Right is the Kokiden Lady’s father (Genji haters). During the period when Genji’s favours have fallen, the Minister of the Right and the Kokiden Lady’s supporters make the court such a pain in the ass for the other side that the Minister of the Left is like “This place sucks, I’m gonna go home and stay there”. Must be nice having that kind of option. But naturally Genji surpasses all his terrible hurdles and comes back bigger and better than before... and ends up Chancellor, before graduating to Honorary Retired Emperor. 

Later on in the story, Higekuro and then Yugiri serve as Minister of the Right, with a brief (possibly erroneous) stint from Kobai as well in the role. The hardworking Yugiri actually ping-pongs between both Left and Right in the final chapters of the story, though this seems to be a continuity error on the part of the writer - or writers, as various scholars believe some chapters were written by a different person.

Genjimonogatari series / Print available on INPRNT