essay

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

Torquil

THE DIARY OF

LADY MURASAKI

As autumn advances, the Tsuchimikado mansion looks unutterably beautiful. Every branch on every tree by the lake and each tuft of grass on the banks of the stream takes on its own particular colour, which is then intensified by the evening light. The voices in ceaseless recitation of sutras are all the more impressive as they continue throughout the night; in the slowly cooling breeze it is difficult to distinguish them from the endless murmur of the stream.

Her Majesty listens to her ladies-in-waiting engaged in idle gossip. She must be in some distress, but manages to hide her feelings as if nothing were amiss; perhaps this calls for no comment, and yet it is quite extraordinary how she can cause a change of heart in someone so disenchanted with life as mys.elf and make me quite forget my troubles - if only I had sought solace for my unhappiness by taking service with her much earlier.

It is still the depth of night. The moon has clouded over, darkening the shadows under the trees. There come voices: 'Can we open the shutters?' 'But the servants will not be ready yet!' 'Attendant! Open up!' Then the bell for the dawn watch suddenly wakes everyone up and the Ritual of the Five Great Mystic Kings begins.

1

The voice of

I The ritual took place in the east wing of the mansion and involved a row of five altarS behind each of which was placed a statue of one of the five great deities ( Vidyariija) : Fudo (Acala11atl1a), Gozanze (Trailokyavijaya), Gundari Yasha (K11,:r4alf), Daiitoku (Yaman- taka) and Kongo Yasha ( 1-iijrayak~a), who symbolized the wrathful energies of the Five Buddhas of Esoteric Buddhism. In this case the object of the ritual is to pray for a safe birth and to bless certain objects that belonged to the mother-to-be. See ground-plan 2

(Appendix 1).

3

TH E DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

each priest as he tries to best his neighbour can be hea rd near and far,

solemn and awe-inspiring. Then, the ritual over, the Ar chbishop of the

Kannon 'in leads twenty acolytes in procession from the east wing

over to the main building to cast magic speJJs; as they c ross the bridge,

their thundering feet sound strange and unfamiliar. Whe n the Abbot of

the Hosshoji and the Bishop of the Jodoji return ·to th eir lodgings in

the stable lodge and the library, both accompanied by r etinues dressed

in priestly robes, I follow them in my mind's eye as the y pass over the

magnificent Chinese bridges and disappear into the t rees. Preceptor

Saigi remains prostrate before the statue ofDaiitoku dee p in prayer.

As the maids and servants all assemble, dawn breaks.

I look out from my room at the head of the corridor into the light

morning mist. 2 Dew is still on the ground, but His Excellency is

already out in the garden ordering his attendants to clear t he stream of

some obstruction. Plucking a sprig from a large clust er of maiden-

flowers that blooms there on the south side of the bridg e, he peers in

over the top of the curtain frame. The sight of him, so magnificent,

makes me conscious of my own dishevelled appearance , and so when

he presses me for a poem, I use it as an excuse to move to where my

inkstone is kept:

Now I see the colour of this maiden-flower in bloom,

I know how much the dew discriminates against me.

'Quick, aren't we!' says he with a smile and asks for my b rush:

It is not the dew that chooses where to fall:

Does not the flower choose the colour that it desires? 1

2 See ground-plan 2 (A di _, .

0 gall .L ppen x 1) . Murasaki s room was probably in the back

corndor

r ery uJ.1t ran between th . b . . .

often partJ· • d . e num uilding and the east wing. These gallenes were

bone w1th sJidi form snuJJ ng screens, panels and curtain

s about four feet high so as to

rooms. Not much p · J 3 A typical h nvacy cou d be expected

with such an arrangement.

. exc ange of short - . . .

unprovise It - poems with a premium p laced on wit and the ability to

. . ts common to fmd . 0 bJects in this H " personal feelmgs expre

ssed by oblique reference to

bla way· JS Excellen ' )

me or praise here? cy s rep y thereby manag es to be equivocal: is there

4

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

One quiet evening as Lady Saisho and I are talking together, His

Excellency's eldest son pulls up the bottom of the blind and seats

himself down. He is very grown-up for his age and looks most elegant. The earnestness with which he talks of love - 'Ah women! Such

difficult creatures at times!' - it gives the lie to those who dismiss him as a callow youth; I find him rather unsettling. We are still talking in

generalities when suddenly he is off, murmuring something about

there being 'too many maiden-flowers in the field'; I remember thinking how like the hero of a romance he seemed. 4

How is it that a little incident like this suddenly comes back to one,

whereas something that moved one deeply at the time can simply be forgotten with the passage of the years?

I was absent from the mansion the day the Governor of Harima

gave a banquet as a forfeit for losing a game of go, and it was only later that I was given the opportunity to see the tray made for the occasion.

The Chinese stand was exquisitely fashioned, and at the edge of the water was written:

Picked up from the Shirara sands of Ki, they say,

May these pebbles grow to mighty rocks!

The women had the most beautiful fans on that occasion. 5

4 His Excellency's son Yorimichi is here quoting from a poem by Ono no Yoshiki,

which can be found in the first imperial collection, the Kokinshu (' A Collection of

Poems Ancient and Modern', c. 90 5): If I tarry in this field so full of maiden-flowers, I am in danger of gaining a bad reputation. The change of tense in the translation is deliberate, for it is at this point that the descriptions become more specific in time and place. This is also

where we encounter the first use of the auxiliary verb haberi, which suggests a certain

distance in the narration, occurring as it does in passages where Murasaki is clearly

commenting on something that she has written, or that has happened, much earlier.

5 Elaborate trays were made, often with miniature land- or seascapes in them, to act as the centrepiece at competitions and banquets. In this case we have a beach scene and

the poem has been written on the silver 'water' that represents the sea. The game itself

was probably a form of jackstones rather than the modern game of go, and the poem

plays on the 'stones'. The idea that pebbles would eventually grow into rocks was a

common conceit and often linked to felicitations for a long reign. Through its phrasing,

5

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

Sometime after the twentieth of the eighth month those nobl . . ' es and

senior courtiers whose presence was reqmred at the mansion started to

stay the night. They would take naps on the bridge and the veranda of

the east wing, and play music in desultory fashion until dawn. The

younger members, who were as yet unskilled in either koto or flut e,

held competitions to see who was best at chanting siitras and they

practised the latest songs together; it was a perfect match for both

place and occasion.

There were also evenings when Tadanobu, Master of Her Majesty's

Household, Tsunefusa, Adviser of the Left, Norisada, Commander of

the Military Guards, and Junior Captain N arimasa, Governor ofMino,sat

and played music together. A formal concert was not held, however,

presumably because His Excellency had decided it would have been

inappropriate. Those who had left Her Majesty's service some years ago

were suddenly reminded of their long absence and crowded back,so with

all the bustle and activity we could find not a moment to ourselves.

On the twenty-sixth, the blending of the incense balls was finished

and Her Majesty distributed them to her women. 6 Those who had

helped prepare them all gathered round. Returning to my room, I

looked in at Lady Saisho 's door, o~y to find her asleep. She lay with

her head pillowed on a writing box, her face all but hidden by a series

of robes - d4rk red lined with green, purple lined with dark red - over

which she had thrown a deep crimson gown of unusually glossy silk.

The shape of her forehead was enchanting and so delicate. She looked

the poem alludes to another poem produced on a similar but rather more formal

occasion that was held some thirty-five years previously in 973. It is th is allusion that

explains the enigmatic statement about fans that follows because the rec ord of the 973

e~ent (a record that still remains) specifically refers to the exquisite fans that had been

~Ive~ out as prizes. 'On that occasion' therefore refers to 973 rather than 1008. Murasaki

Is qmetly showing just how erudite she can be, and in the process gives us an example of

the way memory can move in unpredictable fashion.

6 Incense was carefully m;~ d d · • • b · d · h

uu.,,.e an put mto contamers, which were then une m t e

ground, preferably in a sunny area near water, for a number of days. In this case they

were allowed to cu fc l d .

re or twe ve ays and were tested on the ninth of the followmg

month. The testing would k h fc ta e t e orm of a competition.

6

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

just like one of those princesses you find depicted in illustrations. I ulled back the sleeve that covered her face.

p 'You remind me of a fairy-tale princess!' I said.

She looked up with a start.

'You are dreadful!' she said, propping herself up. 'Waking people up

like that without a thought!' I remember being struck by the attractive way her face suddenly

flushed. So it is that someone normally very beautiful can look even

more beautiful than ever on occasions.

On the ninth of the ninth month Lady Hyobu brought me floss- silk damp with chrysanthemum dew.

'Here,' she said. 'Her Excellency sent it especially for you. She said

you were to use it carefully to wipe old age away!'

I was about to send it back with the poem:

Chrysanthemum dew:

I brush my sleeve to gain a little youth, But let she who owns the flower have the thousand years they bring.

But then they told me that Her Excellency had already returned to

her apartments; there was no point, I told myself, so let the matter drop.7

As night fell, I went to attend Her Majesty. It was a beautiful moon-

lit night. Lady Koshosho, Lady Dainagon and the others were sitting at their respective places near the veranda, the hems of their long trains

cascading out from beneath the blinds. The incense was brought in

and placed on a burner for Her Majesty to test. We discussed how beautiful the garden was ·looking and how unreasonably long it was

taking for the vines to show their autumn colours, but Her Majesty

7 The ninth of the ninth month was the day of the Chrysanthemum Festival. It was

believed that to wipe one's face with material that had been left out on chrysan- themums overnight to protect the fiowers and soak in the dew would bring rejuven-

ation. There may be more to this little episode than meets the eye, but if there is ironic intent on the part of Her Excellency and sarcasm in Murasaki's reply, it is difficult to recover with any certainty.

7

THE DIARY OF LADY MU RASAKI

seemed to be in considerable disc omfort. When it came time for

the priests to perform their rites, I went in with her feeling most

uneasy. I was called away and returned to m

y own room. Intending to rest

for a while, I fell asleep and about m idnight I awakened to a scene of

great bustle and noise.

As dawn approached on the mor ning of the tenth, they changed

all the furnishings and Her Ma jesty was moved to a white-

curtained dais. 8 His Excellency was in charge, and

his sons, together

with other c~mrtiers of fourth and fi fth rank, were milling about hang-

ing up curtains and bringing in mats and cushions. It was all extremely

noisy. Her Majesty was very rest less all day and dearly in great

distress. Loud spells were cast in order to

transfer evil influences. All the

priests who had been at the mans ion for the last few months were

present, of course, but they were n ow joined by everyone worthy of

the name exorcist who had been ordered down from the major

temples. As they crowded in, you co uld imagine every Buddha in the

universe flying down to respond. Th ose famed as Ying-Yang diviners

had also been asked to attend. Surel y not a god in the land could have

failed to prick up his ears, I felt.

All day long there were messengers leaving to request the reading of

siitras; and it continued on througho ut the night.

The ladies-in-waiting sent from the Palace were seated in the east-

ern ~ery. To the west of the dais were the women acting as medi-

ums, each surrounded by a pair of s creens. Curtains had been hung at

the entrance to each enclosure, wher e sat an exorcist whose role it was

to intone loud spells. To the south , the archbishops and bishops of

greatest importance sat in rows; it w as most impressive to hear their

hoarse voices, now in prayer, now i n censure, loud enough, I felt, to

8 See ~round-plan 3 (Appendix 1) for the layout at this point. The chis its

elf was about a

foot rugh covered with ts d L ;

. . h

fro ' . nu m cus rnons, and surrounded by a senes o

f curtains ung

. m a standmg fume. As we find out later on

the usual dais was not dismantled but

sunply pushed into another part of th e ma.in roo:n.

8

THE DIARY OP LADY MURASAKI

call up the manifestation of Fudo in living form.v When I counted

later, there must have been over forty people crammed into that

narrow space between the sliding screens to the north and the dais

itself. Hardly ab~e to move an inch, they were all in a trance, quite

carried away by 1t all. Unfortunately there was no room for those who had just arrived from home. No one could find the hem of her train

or her sleeves in the crush, and the older women, whom one expected

to set an example, were beside themselves trying as best they could to

hide their tears.

At dawn on the eleventh, two sets of sliding screens on the north side

were taken away and Her Majesty was moved into the back gallery. '0

Since it was not possible to hang up blinds, she was surrounded by a

series of overlapping curtains. The Archbishop, Bishop Jojo and the

Bishop for General Affairs were in attendance performing rites.

Bishop Ingen, having added some portentous phrases to an invocation

composed by His Excellency the day before, now read it out slowly in

solemn and inspiring tones. It could not have been more impressive,

especially when His Excellency himself decided to join in the prayers.

Surely nothing could go wrong now, I thought; and yet such was the

strain that none of us could hold back her tears. No matter how much

we told ourselves how unlucky it might be to cry like this, it was

impossible to refrain. His Excellency, concerned that Her Majesty might feel even worse

with so many people crowded around, made everyone move away to

the south and east; only those whose presence was considered essential

were allowed to remain. Her Excellency, Lady Saisho and Lady Kura

were in attendance inside the curtains, as were the Bishop of the

Ninnaji and the Palace Priest from the Miidera. His Excellency was

9 One of the five guardian deities mentioned in note 1. Fudo (Aca/a,iatha or the

Immovable One) was of particularly ferocious mien. He was equipped with a rope in his

left hand, a demon-quelling sword· in the right, sported two large fangs, and had flames

springing from his back. 10 This move was presumably dictated by the soothsayers. There seems to have been no

veranda at the back of the building, so this was as far north as Her Majesty could be

moved. See ground-plan 3 (Appendix J ) .

9

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

shouting orders to all and sundry in such a loud voice that th e priests

were almost drowned out and could hardly be heard. In the r emaining

section of the back gallery sat Lady Dainagon, Lady Koshos ho, Miya

no Naishi, Ben no Naishi, Lady Nakatsukasa, Lady Tayii, a nd Lady

6shikibu - His Excellency's envoy, you know." It was on ly to be

expected that they should seem distraught, for they had all been

in service for so many years, but even I, who had not kno wn Her

Majesty for long, knew instinctively how very grave the situation

was. Another group of women, among them Nakatsukasa, Sho

nagon

and Koshikibu, who had been wet nurses to His Excellency' s second,

third and youngest daughters, squeezed their way in front of the cur-

tains that hung as a divider behind us, with the result that pe ople

could barely pass along the narrow passage at the rear of the two

daises, and those who did manage to push their way throu gh could

hardly tell whom they were jostling.

Whenever the men felt like it, they looked over the curtains. Some-

how one expected this kind of behaviour from His Excellen cy's sons,

and even from Kanetaka, Adviser of the Right, and Junior Captain

Masamichi, but not from the Adviser of the Left or the Mast er of Her

Majesty's Household; they were usually much more circums pect. We

lost all sense of shame being seen in such a state, our eyes swo llen with

weeping. In retrospect it may have been amusing, I suppose, b ut at the

time we must have presented a sorry sight, rice falling on o ur heads

like snow and our clothes all crumpled and creased. 12

When they started to snip Her Majesty's hair and made her ta ke her

vows, everyone was thrown into confusion and wondered what on

earth was happening. Then in the midst of all this despair, she was

safely delivered. Everyone, priests and laymen alike, who was crowded

into that large area stretching all the way from the main roo m to the

: 1 This ~ttle interjection, using the colloquia] particle yo, occurs more than once in the

ary. It IS one of a number of signs that the text is layered: such remarks seem to have

been add~d ~t a l~ter date, perhaps during the process of copyin g.

12 The nee IS bemg thrown in the air as part of the rituals to kee p all evil influences at

bay.

IO

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

southern gallery and the balustrade, broke once more 1·nto h . . . c anting and prostrated themselves m prayer until the afterbirth appeared.

The women in the gallery to the east seem to have become · d . . nuxe up with the s~ruor_ courtiers with the result that Lady Kochiij6 came

face to face w1th First Chamberlain Yorisada. Her embarrassment later

became the source of some amused comment. Very elegant and always

most particular about her appearance, she had made herself up in the

morning, but now her eyes were swollen with weeping and tears had

made her powder run here and there; she was a dreadful sight and

looked most odd. I remember what a shock I had when I saw how

Lady Saish6 's face had changed too. And I hate to think of how I must

have looked. It was a relief that no one could actually recall how

anyone else had looked on that occasion.

At the moment of birth what awful wails of anguish came from the

evil spirits! Preceptor Shin'yo had been assigned to Gen no Kur6do, a

priest called My6so to Hyoe no Kur6do, and the Master of Discipline

from the Hojiiji to Ukon no Kurodo. Miya no Naishi's enclosure was

being overseen by Preceptor Chisan; he was thrown to the ground by

the spirits and was in such distress that Preceptor Nengaku had to

come to his aid with loud spells. Not that his powers were on the

wane, it was just that the evil proved so very persistent. The priest

Eik6, brought in to help Lady Saisho's exorcist, became hoarse from

shouting spells all night. There was further chaos when not all of the

women ma~aged to accept the spirits to whom they had been

assigned.' 3

It was already midday, but we all felt just as if the morning sun had

risen into a cloudless sky. Our delight on hearing Her Majesty• had

been safely delivered knew no bounds, and how could we have been

anything but ecstatic that it was a boy. Those ladies who yesterday had

wilted and this morning had been sunk in a mist of autumn tears all

13 Since at least some of these women have already just been described as serving close

by Her Majesty, it is doubtful whether they themselves were acting as mediums. ~t is

more likely that, as high-ranking ladies-in-waiting, each of them was made responsible

for an enclosure and that the gruelling work of being a medium had _been entr_usted to

professional substitutes. An exorcist has been assigned to each medium, but 10 some

cases further help was obviously necessary.

II

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

took their. leave and retired to rest. The older women, who were best

fitted for the task, were in attendance on Her Majesty.

Their Excellencies moved through to another part of the mansion to

di.stribute offerings of thanks both to those priests who had carried

out rituals and chanted siitras for months past and to those who had

come in response to more recent demands. Gifts were also presented

to those doctors and diviners who had shown special skill in their

respective arts. I assume that preparations for the ceremony of the first

bathing were already proceeding at the Palace. 14

In the women's apartments servants brought in new dresses in large

bundles and packages. Both the embroidery on the jackets and the

hem-stitching with mother-of-pearl inlay on the trains had been

grossly overdone, and the women tried to hide them from each other,

concentrating on their powder and their dresses and fussing about

why the fans they had ordered had not yet arrived.

Looking out as usual from my room at the end of the corridor, I

noticed the Master of Her Majesty's Household waiting by the side

door in the company ofYasuhira, Master of the Crown Prince's House-

hold, and various other nobles. His Excellency emerged and gave

orders that the stream be cleared of the leaves that had been blocking

it for some days past. Everyone was in high spirits. In the general

atmosphere, which must have allowed even those with private worries

to forget their troubles for the time being, it was only natural that

Tadanobu, as Master of Her Majesty's Household, should find it

hard to hide his own particular delight, although he tried not to smile

too broadly. Kanetaka was sitting on the veranda of the east wing

exchanging jokes with Takaie, Middle Counsellor Elect.

14 These preparations included making the bathtub and other ceremonial objects.

Murasaki's assumption here is incorrect. The bathtub was made at the Tsuchimikado

mansion rather than at the Palace and the order was not given until the baby had been

safely delivered. His Excellency Michinaga 's diary has the following entry for this day:

'The boy was safely delivered about noon. Presented gifts to the priests and diviners

who had been present, each according to rank. At the same time the child had his first

feed, the umbilical cord was cut, and they began to make the bath tub.' The carpenters

were given less than six hours to complete the task.

12

THE OIAIV OF LADY MURASAKI

Chamberlain Yoris.acb, who had brought the ceremonial sword fi~ . from the Palace, ~ ch~d by his Excellency to return and report the safe birth to the Emperor. Tlut day w:a.s the day the tmpcrial messenger left for lsc, so he would not tu~ been illowcd to enter the Palace 1tself. being obliged to report sQOding outside instead.

11 He

received gifts from His Excellency, but I W2S not present. The ceremonial cutting of the umbilical cord was done by Her

Excellency. and ~dy Tadubana performed the tint offering of the brast. Lady 6s.aemon ~ chosen to be the ·wet nune since she hid be-en in service for some time 2nd w.u known and liked by all. She is the cuughter of Michitok.i , the ~-crnor of Bitchu. :md wife of

Chamberbi n Hfroruri.

The first bathing took pl.:acc at about we m the C'Vellin& l think. 16 Torches wen- lit and H~r Majesty's scrvanu, \\--eanng whnc vatmcnu over shon green robc-s, arned in th~ hot water. The sunds dut held tht' rubs werie covered m wh1tc doth. Chak.anuau. Chat( of the Office of w~ving, and NK.111obu, the Chief Ancncunc. bore lh~ rub\ up 10 the blinds and pused dlrm an to tl1c ~"O '-'"Omen m c~ or the wuer, Lad)' ){jyoik.o ind Huuna; rhcy an rum nude SUft u wa.\ only h1ke-,varJJL TI1en Nto ocher '-''Omen-. Omoku and Muma. filkd up stxteen pncben, emptying wtu1 ~OUJned «na~tn imo the b3ch cub. They wt're ill ,n~~nng g;auz.e ounda. wuh mim ~nd pc~ of taffita. and had theu hair done up mou auraCU\Tly wuh hairpw and white nbhons. Lad)' Saisho was m clurge of che badung 1oclf. wnh Lady 0;unagon acnng as h_er unsant. Dt'NK'd m unusual aprons. they both

look.e-d t'xrremelr deganc.

lS A mC"»<'n.,;c-1 v.-.) ~ dispaid~ ~ <~ M'nllh of~ flUlUl oi,ow:h &om ,he w un t<> I><', U<mi <ffi.tr<' <,{ mi' lDlp<f"Ul ruh Shuub ~ blood .- a poUuc.,u. 1-fo tn~ O(>c>n to lllt' Twchwuudo mmswo_ \'pn~ ts npw de'tikd from conQCt wuh

the- birth 4.ltd ( ~<>l t"rm-r chc P~ fur ftu f.){" wf.f~ rhe mriiL'~r. 16 W') Mu,_,~ pert~ no< ~ru u du, 4'1Q d1' (otlowu"' , ~morun? La,~, on. fur 1mU1K c , ••I.(' t, u1burc b LO 'IA-00 pcr{ocmcJ ~ er.di~- In any CAk, ,hr Wai ck.tly oyu1t to be:.._. t.udw .a.) p,c>Miblc m ~lut Ji,: recorJcJ . fPt', ~ of w~, li g<>tfi¥ QJl • t um Junuwc, wrc K,vund-pl.u1 4 (Appcndi~ 1)

J j

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

His Excellency carried the baby prince in his arms, preceded by Lady Koshosho with the sword and Miya no Naishi with the tiger's head. 17 Her jacket was decorated with a pine-cone pattern and her train had a wave design woven into it, giving it the appearance of a printed seascape. The waistband was of thin gauze embroidered with a Chinese vine pattern. Lady Koshosho's train was decorated with autumn grasses, butterflies and birds sketched in glittering silver. We were none of us free to do exactly as we pleased because of the rules about the use of silk, so she had obviously tried something unusual at the waistline.

His Excellency's two sons, together with Junior Captain Masamichi and others, scattered rice around with great shouts, trying to see who could make the most noise, so much so indeed that the Bishop of the Jodoji, present in his role as Protector, was forced to protect his own head and face with a fan for fear of being hit; this greatly amused the younger women.

The Doctor of Letters who read out the text from the classics was Chamberlain Hironari. Standing below the balustrade, he read out the opening passage from the Records of the Historian, 18 while behind him in two lines stood twenty men, ten of fifth and ten of sixth rank, twanging their bows.

What is known as the evening bath was really only a formal repeti- tion of the first bath, and the ceremony was as before. I think there was a different reader: it may have been Munetok.i, the Governor of Ise, reading the usual text from the Classic of Filial Piety. Takachika, I

17 Tigers are not indigenous to Japan, so this had probably arrived at court as a gift from either Korea or China, at least two hundred years before this event. It is probable that the head was held over the bath, its face reflected in the water to scare away evil infiuences, although there are some commentaries that suggest this is a skull actually dipped in the water. Whatever the case, it should be understood to be an extremely rare, talismanic object. 18 All the readings were from the Chinese classics. It is likely that a 'reading' in fact consisted of a formalized recitation in Sino-Japanese pronunciation, which would not have been readily understood without reference to the text itself, even without the twanging of the bows. The Shih-chi ('Records of the Historian') is the first Chinese Standard History, compiled by Ssu-ma Ch'ien and covering events in China from the beginnings to 1 oo BC.

14

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

heard, was the reader for the 'Emperor Wen' ch;pter from the Records,

the three men taking turns over the seven-day period. 19

The whole spectacle, with Her Majesty in spotless white setting off

in contrast the vivid shapes and black hair of her ladies-in-waiting,

seemed like a skilful black-and-white sketch that had come alive. I

myself felt very ill at ease and self-conscious, so hardly ventured out

during the day at all. Resting indoors, I observed the ladies as they

passed from the rooms in the east wing over to the main building.

Those who were allowed the forbidden colours 20 had mantles made

from the same figured silk as their jackets, which gave them elegance

but no individuality. Those to whom the colours were forbidden ' especially the older ones among them, had been careful to avoid any-

thing out of the ordinary and had dressed simply in beautiful robes of

three or four layers, mantles of figured silk, and plain jackets; some had

robes decorated with damask and gauze. Their fans were not gaudy in

any way, and yet they had a certain elegance. They were inscribed

with appropriate phrases, almost as if the women had all discussed the

matter between themselves beforehand. Now, as they looked at each

other, they suddenly realized how, although each one of them had

tried to show some originality, those of a common age are bound to

have common tastes. There was a strong atmosphere of rivalry. Their

trains and jackets had, of course, been embroidered. The jackets had

decorated cuffi; the silver thread stitched down the seams of the trains

had been made to look like braid; and silver foil had been inlaid into

the figured pattern on the fans. You felt as if you were gazing at

mountains deep in snow in clear moonlight. It was so bright, indeed,

19 Murasaki again makes a point of telling us that she was not present. Her reference to

the 'Emperor Wen' chapter here may be a mistake for the section on Emperor Wen in

the Chronicles of the Han. We know this because other records of this event survive: see

Appendix 2 for details.

20 The rules governing who could wear what colour were complicated and subject to

constant change. According to the earliest specialized source we have, dated c. I I 50, only

women of a certain rank were allowed to wear yellow-green or red, but this restriction

was limited to jackets of figured silk and printed trains. On this particular occasion,

however, everyone is dressed in white, so the term may simply govern the type of

material allowed.

15

s,..\ICI ,,. 0 v M v Jt,. bad been ,,.v.v oF L ·f the rootn -rtIB pl • .rhing, as l · h al1Y".-disting\.lts

Jd hardlY ou cou chat y . rnirrors- hung with

· ty's staff f Her MaJeS ' mbers o f h d z, the me k charge o t e . f the third ay' 't danobu, too the eve01ng o f h Household, a M . ty with the food: a On M ter o t e d Her aJeS Jed by the . as Tadanobu presente 1 - I was not close enough to J braoon. i1 r bows • first ce e d table and s ve . d fuiiwara no Sanenan pre-all aloes-woo ll Tosh1kata an :., li . . sm Middle Counse or . Everything - the rung m see more. ddi g for the prince. h d lothing and be n h 1 thing itself, the c est covers sente c h wraps for t e c o d . th clothes chests, t e hit material and the same es1gn, e ds - was of the same w e . . I and the scan 1 some individual trace. presume h d been taken to eave h and yet care a f 0- . had taken care of all the ot er Governor o rm, that Takamasa, bl e seated in the western gallery of the ts The no es wer arrangemen · . s from north to south; the senior . ranked m two row east wmg, . h h gallery ranked from west to east. Portable rtiers sat m t e sout ern ,

cou f hi damask had been erected facing outwards along the screens o w te blinds that divided the gallery from the central chamber.

The celebrations for the evening of the fifth day were arranged by His Excellency. It was the fifteenth of the month with a bright moon in a cloudless sky. Even the sight of the lowest menials, chattering to each other as they walked round lighting the fire baskets under the trees by the lake and arranging the food in the garden, seemed to add to the sense of occasion. Torchbearers stood everywhere at attention and the scene was as bright as day. Standing here and there in the shadow of the rocks or under the trees were those whom I took to be retainers of visiting nobles. They were wreathed in smiles and looked very pleased with themselves, as if they somehow felt that their own private prayers for the birth of this bright light into the world had come to fruition. Hardly surprising then that His Excellency's own retainers - even men

2 _ 1 Cel~bratio~ were held on the third, fifth, seventh and ninth days after the birth, each nmc wtth a different group of courtiers in charge of the arrangements.

16

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

of minor importance among them such as those of fifth rank and below - were to be seen scurrying back and 6o th b · . . r . , owmg to everyone m sight and clearly very much aware of their own good fortune.

When the order was given for the food to be brought · . . . . . m, a proces-

s10n of e1g~t la~es dr~ssed m white, their hair done up with white ribbon, earned m a series of white trays The lady in ch f · . . . . • arge o servmg Her MaJesty t~s everung_ was Miya no Naishi. She always had great

presence, but With her hair combed up so that it fell over her shoul-

ders she looked even more striking than usual; I remember in particu-

lar that part of her profile not hidden by her fan. The eight ladies who

~ad their hair done up, Genshikibu, Kozaemon, Kohyoe, Tayii,

Omuma, Komuma, Kohyobu and Komoku - the most attractive

young women - sat in two rows facing each other. It was certainly a

sight to remember. It is in fact quite normal to have to put up one's

hair when serving Her Majesty, but these women, who had been

specially chosen by His Excellency for the occasion, could do nothing

but complain about how dreadful it was to be so exposed; I thought

they made themselves ridiculous.

The sight of thirty or more women sitting in rows in the double-

span area to the east of the dais was most impressive. Servants carried

in the ceremonial food. In front of the screens that now partitioned off

the bath by the side door another set of screens had been set up facing

south, and the food was arranged there on a pair of white cabinets. 22

In the moonlight, which increased in intensity as the night wore on,

sat servants, kitchen staff, hairdressers, maids and cleaners, some of

whom I had never seen before. There were others, possibly the

women in charge of the keys, who, despite somewhat inadequate dress

and powder, fairly bristled with combs and looked terribly stiff and

formal. They were all crowded on to the veranda, between the en-

trance to the back corridor and the bridge, making it impossible for

anyone else to pass through. .

When they had finished serving, the women went to sit down by

the blinds. Everything was sparkling in the light of the flares but, even

. r. 1 · t of the layout at this point. 2-2 See ground-pun 5 (Appendix 1) 1or a c earer pie ure

17

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

ill t d out· Lady Oshi.kibu wore a beautiful train so some women st s oo . ' • k b h b oidered with the Komatsubara scene at Mt and pc et, ot em r . . . . . 21 Sh · h wi· ce of the Governor of M1chinokuru and His Oshio. e 1s t e u . . 11

, you know Lady Tayu had left her pcket as tt was, Exce ency s envoy, · . . . . but her train had a striking wave pattern prmted on 1t m ~ilv~r, not 1 · uous but most pleasing to the eye. Ben no Naishi had a over y consp1c . . . train printed with an unusual design, a crane standmg m a silver sea-

scape; as a symbol of longevity it was a p~rfe~~ co~plement to the pine branches on the embroidery. Lady Shosho s tram was decorated with silver foil that was not quite up to the same standard as the others, and it became the subject of some adverse comment. By Lady Sh6sh6 I mean the younger sister of Sukemitsu, the Governor of Shinano, a lady oflong standing in His Excellency's employ.

Her Majesty looked so radiant this evening that it made one feel like showing her off, so I pushed open the screens which concealed the priest on night duty. 'I'm sure you will never be able to see the like again!' I remember saying. At this he left his devotions. 'Oh!' he murmured, rubbing his hands together and looking very pleased. 'You're too good, too good.'

The nobles left their seats and went on to the bridge where they began playing dice in the company of His Excellency. I hate it when they start betting. Poems were composed and we all prepared our- selves, reciting one just in case the cup should come round to the women:

As we hand it round under a full moon, May this cup, shining with rare reflected light, Bring everlasting blessings. 24

23 Komatsubara was an area just north-east of the capital often used for its poetic associations. This particular design may well have been based on the following congratu- latory poem by the poet Ki no Tsurayuki: Ah Ohara, and Komatsubara at Oshio: may the trees soon grow tall and show us the face of immortality (Gosenshu, commissioned 951, Poem 1374). 24 As the effect of this poem in Japanese relies on word-play (three examples in this case), it is difficult to reproduce in translation. Murasaki obviously thought it clever enough to record, despite the fact that she never had an opportunity to recite it.

18

--

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

We were whispering to each other how careful one had to be with not only the poem itself but also the recitation when in the presence of Major Counsellor Kint6,

2

s but then in the end, perhaps because they were so busy and it was getting late, they retired before picking out any ladies.

Gifts were presented. The nobles were given robes for their women together with some of the prince's clothes and bedding, I think. Senior courtiers of fourth rank were each given a set of lined robes and trouser-skirts, those of fifth rank the robes only, and those of sixth rank.just the trouser-skirts.

The next evening there was a beautiful moon and, as the weather was perfect, some of the younger women went out in a boat. Their black hair stood out in clear contrast against their white dresses - far more so than had they been wearing colours. Kodayu, Genshikibu, Miyagi no Jiju, Gosechi no Ben, Ukon, Kohyoe, Koemon, Muma, Yasurai, and the Lady from Ise had all been sitting near the veranda when Adviser of the Left Tsunefusa and His Excellency's second son Norimichi tried to entice them out on to the lake. Adviser of the Right Kanetaka was persuaded to pole them. Some of the women slipped away and stayed indoors, but they were probably a little jealous, for they kept on glancing outside from time to time. The shapes and faces reflecting the moonlight in the garden with its white sand were most intriguing.

We heard that a number of carriages had arrived at the northern guardhouse. It was the ladies from the Palace. I remember hearing that they included Tozanmi, Lady Jiju, Lady T6sh6sh6, Lady Muma, Lady Sakon, Lady Chikuzen, Lady Sho and Lady Omi, but I may have been mistaken since I did not know them all by sight. The women in the

25 This is Fujiwara no Kinto (966--1041), the arbiter of poetic taste at the time. It is interesting to note the importance placed on reciting poetry correctly. Sei Shonagon has a similar passage, where she records her apprehension at having to reply to one of Kinto's poems. See I. Morris, The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon (London: Oxford Univer- sity Press, 1967, vol. 1, pp. 120-21; Penguin Classics, 1971, p. 135). Kinto's own (far more mundane) poem on this occasion can be found in the collection of his own poems (Kintoshu, Poem 23034): Ah! See the peaceful face of the autumn moon; it brings the promise of a lengthy reign.

19

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

boat came in looking flustered. His Excellency emerged to sit with the ladies. Very much at his ease, he bade them welcome and indulged in a little banter. Gifts were presented in accordance with rank.

The celebrations on the evening of the seventh day were held under the aegis of the court. Junior Captain Michimasa, acting as Imperial messenger, presented Her Majesty with a willow box which contained a scroll listing the gifts. She accepted it, passing it straight on to her attendants. Then the scholars from the Kangakuin

26 entered in proces-

sion and a list of those present was also given to Her Majesty. This too she passed on. Gifts must have also been given in return. The ceremony that evening was extremely elaborate and dreadfully noisy.

When I peeped in through the curtains that surrounded Her Maj- esty, far from giving the impression of grandeur one expected from someone feted as 'Mother of the Land', she was reclining listlessly and looked pale and drawn, even more fragile, young and beautiful than ever, I thought. In the .clear light of a small lamp hung inside the curtains her lovely complexion was of translucent delicacy; I realized that when her mass of hair was tied up it did indeed set off her face to advantage. But all this hardly needs comment, so I shall write of it no more.

The arrangements for this ceremony were the same as for the previ- ous occasion. Gifts for the nobles, in the form of women's robes and the Prince's clothes, were handed out from behind the blinds. The senior courtiers, led by the two First Chamberlains, came· up in order to receive them. The presents from the court included dresses, bed clothes and rolls of silk. Lady Tachibana, who had given the Prince his first breast, was presented with the usual dresses, and in addition a long robe of figured silk contained in a silver chest which was also covered,

26 The K.angakuin was a college founded by Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu in 821 for the purpose of educating members of the clan. As will be seen from Appendix 2 , most other sources in fact record this procession as taking place on the third day rather than on the seventh. This would make more sense, because it would have been far more appropriate for scholars from this private clan institution to have participated in an event sponsored by Her Majesty's Household, as was the case on the third.

20

THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI

if I remember correctly, in white cloth. I heard she was also given another special gift besides, but I was not close enough to her to be able to see.

On the eighth day we all changed back into our coloured robes.

The celebrations on the evening of the ninth day were arranged by Yorimichi, now Master Elect of the Crown Prince's Household. Food was placed on a pair of white cabinets and arranged in a most-unusual, up-to-date fashion. There was also a silver clothes-chest inlaid with a seascape design of large waves and Mt Horai, in itself nothing out of the ordinary and yet delicately fashioned so it caught the eye - but I fear if I single out everything for comment, I will never finish.

That night everything returned to normal. The dais was rehung with curtains that had the 'decayed wood' pattern printed on the facing. We all wore gowns of deep crimson. It was a change to see colours again, quite bewitching. The sheen on the gowns could be seen through the translucent gauze of the jackets and you could clearly distinguish people's figures.

That was the night Lady Koma had her embarrassing experience. 27

Her Majesty was in convalescence until some time after the tenth of the tenth month. We waited on her night and day in rooms which lay to the west of the main hall. 28 His Excellency came to see the Prince at all hours, sometimes at midnight, sometimes at dawn. The wet nurse would be sound asleep; dead to the world, she would suddenly wake to find him rummaging around her breasts. I felt very sorry for her.

27 As we know from the account of this incident in the Shoyuki (see Appendix 2), it actually occurred on the seventeenth rather than the nineteenth. A serving lady called Koma no Takashina was the butt of much drunken revelry, Michinaga going so far as to take off one of his robes and offer it to her. At first she refused, but in the end she was forced to accept the gift. A visit to her apartments presumably followed. 28 The white dais had been removed on the eighteenth when everyone had changed back into colours, so only one dais remained. It was relocated to the weStern side of the eastern chamber. See ground-plan 6 (Appendix 1) .

21

THE DIARY OF LA DY MURASAKI

The child was really too sm all, but then it was only n

atural that His

Excellency should want to lift the boy up in his arms

and play with

him to his heart's content. O n one occasion the Prince

went so far as

to forget himself; His Exce llency untied his cloak and

hung it up to

dry behind the dais.

'Look!' he chuckled. 'Peed all over me! Marvellous!

And now to

dry it - all our hopes come true!'

His Excellency was extrem ely persistent about the P

rince Naka-

tsukasa business and kept pu shing me, under the impres

sion that I was

in the Prince's favour. 29 I really had so many worrie

s.

22