Cultural Dynamics of Heian Japan in the Tale of Murasaki

The Tale of Murasaki, by Liza Dalby, is about Murasaki, a young woman who lived in the Heian period (794-1185) of Japan. She writes a story called The Tale of Genji, and earns so much recognition for it that she is invited to court to attend the empress. Not only was she known for her writing, but she drew attention by learning Chinese. In the story, a Chinese education is essential for a man hoping to be a high-ranked member of society. Because the Japanese considered Chinese culture as superior, waka, a popular form of Japanese poetry, carries less cultural value in the novel. Therefore, both high-class women and men have to learn about wakas and use them daily. A woman who can compose good wakas and is beautiful would have the best chances of going to court, which is the best way to guarantee a comfortable life. Liza Dalby’s The Tale of Murasaki accurately portrays the abilities of each sex, the importance of Chinese learning, and the role of Japanese poetry in the Heian period of Japan.

In the novel, women stay behind screens when men are present, and they are expected to put a lot of thought

into the way they appear from the other side of the screen. When an imperial procession comes to the palace, everyone dresses up to meet them. Murasaki goes inside the blinds to socialize with the other ladies, and observes their hair and colors of their robes. She compares the colors of their clothes to colors of certain plants. Higher-ranked women wear tea-green and crimson robes, which the lower-ranked women are forbidden from wearing (Dalby 333-334). In Heian Japan, when a man and a woman were in each other’s presences, they would “communicate with a barrier between them… with the man ogling to glimpse the woman’s hair and form... beauty was judged by the… cascade of long hair… and by the… pleasing shades and color combinations of robes suitable to the season” (Riggs 449-461). Like in the book, men and women separated themselves with barriers, and their appearance was judged by their hair and clothes. In the diary of Murasaki Shikibu, she recorded the outfits that the other ladies wore to a ceremony: “Lady Koshosho wore an embroidered belt with a pattern of autumn leaves, butterflies, and birds, which was bright with silver thread. Brocade was forbidden except for persons of high rank and they used it only for the belt” (Murasaki 83). Lower-ranked people were forbidden from using certain fabrics. An interesting aspect of their clothes are that they go along with nature themes; they try to match colors and patterns of their clothes to certain seasons or natural scenery.
Though aristocratic women could not travel or govern, they did possess some power in their home life. Near the beginning of the novel, Murasaki’s father remarries. They live with his wife’s family until Murasaki’s father gets assigned to a post in Echizen, requiring them to move. When Murasaki gets married, a house is set up for her to live in with her servants. She runs the house, and her husband visits her occasionally. It was unusual for a woman, but not unheard of for a woman to live in a house set up just for her; normally a couple “lived at the wife’s family residence. Sometimes they lived separately, and on a few occasions they lived in a new home built for them by the wife’s family”. Women had some property rights as well; they had “the ability to own and pass on property and to choose their own heirs” (Segul). A woman’s possession of property most likely factored into her success in finding a husband.
In the book, the regent Michinaga, a member of the Fujiwara family, has his daughter married into the royal family, hoping that she will have a son, who would be the next emperor. If his grandson is the emperor, Michinaga would have much more control over Japan’s court. Marrying daughters into the court was, in fact, the way the Fujiwara family, who were not related to the imperial family, gained so much power: “members of the Fujiwara family dominated the court and controlled the imperial line as sessho or kampaku by marrying their daughters to imperial successors” (Yamazaki 497-499). Though women could not use their political power themselves, men could use a woman’s power for leverage in ranks if they were related. In addition, a man could move up ranks if he married a woman of a higher rank. Because marriage had so much political potential, the court became a breeding ground for marriage. A young woman, known as Sarashina, who lived in the early eleventh century got invited to the court. Even though she did not want to leave her parents, her family forced her to go. According to her diary, people told her, “People nowadays go out as ladies-in-waiting at the Court, and then fortunate opportunities [for marriage] are naturally numerous; why not try it?" (Sarashina 69-145). The best way women could attain positions of power was by going to court, which would increase their chances of getting married.
Though young noble men had to learn Chinese, young women were often discouraged from learning Chinese.

In The Tale of Murasaki, Murasaki’s father allows her to learn Chinese with her brother. Her father brags to other men in court that she knows Chinese, but they laugh at her. Murasaki did actually learn Chinese, in reality: “Although it was highly unorthodox for women to do so, Murasaki continued to study Chinese literature” (Kearns). Young men had to learn Chinese to get a good position in the imperial court because “official documents were written in Chinese and educated courtiers were expected to compose poetry in Chinese as well”(Riggs 449–461). Because “Chinese learning was considered inappropriate for the education of young women”, there was a rise in “waka poetry as the verse form used in the private lives of the women and their lovers”(Riggs

449–461).
Waka was a highly popular form of Japanese poetry used daily among the aristocracy. In the novel, they are a form of communication between Murasaki and her friends and suitor. After Murasaki’s friend leaves her to get married, they send each other wakas. When Murasaki moves to Echizen, she and her suitor stay in contact by sending wakas. Later on in the novel, when a suitor visits her, they sit on opposite sides of the screen and pass wakas to each other. At ceremonies, Murasaki, as well as the other ladies and couriers, compose wakas. Wakas found widespread appreciation as an art form in Japan, and it was utilized for communication. Izumi Shikibu, a lady who served at court around the same time as Murasaki, kept a diary recording wakas sent back and forth between her and the prince: “His poem: In sorrow I gaze upon the sky of Autumn / The clouds are in turmoil / And the wind is high.... Her response: A gentle wind of Autumn makes me sad /O day of storm– / No way to speak of it!” (Izumi 69-145). People would use wakas to express their thoughts and feelings, using aspects of nature as metaphors. People would also compose and read wakas to appreciate the art. Ki no Tsurayuki, a Japanese poet described the value of wakas, “The poetry of Japan has its roots in the human heart and flourishes in the countless leaves of words...they give expression to the meditations of their hearts in terms of the sights appearing before their eyes and the sounds coming to their ears” (Heinrich). He personified waka as a plant, and talks about how it is a method of recording imagery. The natural imagery in waka poems help people record their environment and express themselves to each other.
Artistic achievements could land a woman a position in the court. Those who read the story that Murasaki writes hold high esteem for it. Eventually, the regent invites her to be one of the empress’s attendants because he wants her to have a good education. Izumi Shikibu recieves an invition to the court later on because she composed good wakas. Sei Shonagon wrote a book that documented her experiences at court called The Pillow Book, which earned her more power. The regent Michinaga was “Eager to make sure that his daughters received imperial favor”, so he invited “talented female writers” who “served his daughters and authored remarkable works of poetry, fiction, and memoirs”(Segul).
Liza Dalby’s The Tale of Murasaki accurately portrays the abilities of each sex, the importance of Chinese learning, and the role of Japanese poetry in the Heian period of Japan. Men and women had to separate themselves with screens, women had to put effort into their hair and color combinations of their clothes, women got married to advance political power of men, a woman needed to get married or go to court to have a comfortable life, and husbands lived separately from their wives or with the families of their wives. Chinese learning was an essential part of a young man’s education because he needed to know Chinese to go to the imperial court. Because people ridiculed women if they knew Chinese, they communicated with each other and lovers through Japanese wakas. Both men and women had to be able to compose wakas to get to court. Women could not govern, but they could go to court if they were great writers, and increase in rank.