The aesthetic of the bishōnen was recorded in Lady Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji, written in about the year 1000 A. D. Genji concerns the exploits and romances of a young prince, the son of an emperor and beloved concubine, who is not in line to inherit the throne, and follows his intrigues through the court as he comes of age.

Kyoto held a year-long celebration commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Genji in 2008, with poetry competitions, visits to the Tale of Genji Museum in Uji and Ishiyama-dera ( where a life size rendition of Murasaki at her desk was displayed ), and women dressing in traditional 12-layered Heian court and ankle-length hair wigs.

The traditional Japanese symbols for the chapters of the Tale of Genji are based on the 52 ways of partitioning five elements.

Though not shunga, it was traditional to present a bride with ukiyo-e depicting scenes from the Tale of Genji.

In one part of " The Tales of Genji ( Genji monogatari )", Genji falls deeply in love with a mysterious woman, who he has never seen before, after he hears her playing koto from a distance.

Historian Edwin Reischauer writes that genres such as the monogatari were distinctly Japanese and that Genji, written in kana, " was the outstanding work of the period ".

The story of the " shining prince " Genji is set in the late 9th to early 10th centuries, and Murasaki eliminated from it the elements of fairy tales and fantasy frequently found in earlier monogatari.

Murasaki was neither the first nor the last writer of the Heian period, nor was the Genji the earliest example of a " monogatari ".

Many of the great works of Japanese fiction, such as the Genji monogatari and the Heike monogatari are in this monogatari form.

* Genji monogatari ue no Makishita no kan ( 1990 ) ( TV-Series )

* Genji monogatari ( The Tale of Genji ; 源氏物語 ) ( 1999 )

Genji monogatari ( The Tale of Genji ) is an opera by the Japanese composer Minoru Miki, with the libretto by Colin Graham, based on the eponymous masterpiece of 11th-century classical Japanese literature by Murasaki Shikibu.

" In her diary she records having to avoid advances from Michinaga — one night he snuck into her room, stealing a newly written chapter of Genji.

Her nickname, Murasaki, was most probably given at a court dinner in an incident she recorded in her diary: in c. 1008 the well-known court poet Fujiwara no Kintō inquired after the " Young Murasaki "— an allusion to the character named Murasaki in Genji — which would have been considered a compliment from a male court poet to a female author.

On the other hand, the very chamber in the temple where the Genji was written is shown — with the ink-slab which the author used, and a Buddhist Sutra in her handwriting, which, if they do not satisfy the critic, still are sufficient to carry conviction to the minds of ordinary visitors to the temple.

The long descriptive passages, some of which may have originated as letters, cover her relationships with the other ladies-in-waiting, Michinaga's temperament, the birth of Shōshi's sons — at Michinaga's mansion rather than at the Imperial Palace — and the process of writing Genji, including descriptions of passing newly written chapters to calligraphers for transcriptions.

The main theme is that of the fragility of life, " the sorrow of human existence ", — she used the term over a thousand times in Genji.

While most of his erotic interactions involve women, there is one telling episode in which Genji travels a fairly long distance to visit one of the women with whom he occasionally consorts but finds her away from home.

The Tale of Genji may have been written chapter by chapter in installments, as Murasaki delivered the tale to aristocratic women, ( the yokibito ).

Japan's most famous tale, and some say the world's first modern novel, The Tale of Genji was penned by Murasaki Shikibu while performing as a lady-in-waiting in Heian-kyo.

Female virtue was tied to literary knowledge in the 17th century, leading to a demand for Murasaki or Genji inspired artifacts, known as genji-e. Dowry sets decorated with scenes from Genji or illustrations of Murasaki became particularly popular for noblewomen: in the 17th century genji-e symbolically imbued a bride with an increased level of cultural status ; by the 18th century they had come to symbolize marital success.

He was particularly known for his English version of The Tale of Genji ( 1976 ), which is counted among the preferred modern translations.

Onna-e, epitomized by the Tale of Genji handscroll, typically deals with court life and courtly romance while otoko-e, often deal with historical and / or semi-legendary events, particularly battles.

Under influence from other genres such as kanshi, Chinese poetry, novels and stories such as Tale of Genji and even Western poetry, it has developed gradually, broadening its repertoire of expression and topics.

Helen McCullough describes Murasaki's writing as of universal appeal and believes The Tale of Genji " transcends both its genre and age.

One remarkable feature of the Genji, and of Murasaki's skill, is its internal consistency, despite a dramatis personæ of some four hundred characters.

The Tale of Genji sold 14 million copies with its 13 tankōbon volumes by May 2006.

It has been described by Princeton University Press ( regarding the Roy translation ) as " a landmark in the development of the narrative art form-not only from a specifically Chinese perspective but in a world-historical context ... noted for its surprisingly modern technique " and " with the possible exception of The Tale of Genji ( ca.

* He is a playable character in the video game, Genji: Dawn of the Samurai, and its prequel Genji: Days of the Blade, Throne of darkness.

The mansion, the Rokujyo-in (" Rokujyo's house "), was so grand that Genji plotted the site into four sections, each having a palace and its garden that were named and designed for one of the seasons: the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Palaces.

Genji, in his poem, names the murasaki or purple gromwell, because its color resembles the color of the wisteria ( in Japanese, fuji ) thereby obliquely referring to Fujitsubo, " the Lady of the Wisteria Court ", a woman he is violently in love with for the first part of the novel.

In 2005, Okamoto's new independent game company, Game Republic, released its first game Genji: Dawn of the Samurai.

Keene writes that Genji gives a view into the Heian period ; for example love affairs flourished, although women typically remained unseen behind screens, curtains or.

" Prince Genji recognizes in each of his lovers the inner beauty of the woman and the fragility of life, which according to Keene, makes him heroic.

" Keene writes that The Tale of Genji continues to captivate, because, in the story, her characters and their concerns are universal.

Three late tenth century and early eleventh century women presented their views of life and romance at the Heian court in Kagerō Nikki (" The Gossamer Years ") by " the mother of Michitsuna ", Makura no Sōshi ( The Pillow Book ) by Sei Shōnagon, and Genji Monogatari ( Tale of Genji ) by Murasaki Shikibu ( herself a Fujiwara ).

Untied: Love Poems from the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu.

* 1001 – 1008: Japanese Lady Murasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji

* 1021 – Lady Murasaki Shikibu writes her Japanese novel, The Tale of Genji.

* Lady Murasaki writes The Tale of Genji in Japanese ( approximate date ).

Murasaki is depicted writing at Ishiyama-dera in this late-17th-century silk painting on the Harvard Genji Album frontispiece by Tosa Mitsuoki, housed at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum | Sackler Museum.

Writing in A Bridge of Dreams: A Poetics of " The Tale of Genji ", Shirane mentions that 1014 is generally accepted as the date of Murasaki Shikibu's death and 973 as the date of her birth, making her 41 when she died.

Three works are attributed to Murasaki: The Tale of Genji, The Diary of Lady Murasaki and Poetic Memoirs, a collection of 128 poems.

Murasaki is best known for her The Tale of Genji, a three-part novel spanning 1100 pages and 54 chapters, that is thought to have taken a decade to complete.

: File: Tale of Genji Royal Outing. jpg | In the The Tale of Genji, Murasaki described court life, as depicted in this exterior scene titled " Royal Outing ", late 16th century by Tosa Mitsuyoshi.

: File: Murasaki Genji Hiroshige. jpg | Hiroshige ukiyo-e, ( 1852 ), shows an interior court scene from The Tale of Genji.