1. Kiritsubo / The Paulownia Court(桐壺)
Passage
At the Court of an Emperor (he lived it matters not when)
Opening sentence of Genji translated by Waley. Seidensticker's translation is "In a certain reign". the latter is closer to the original.
Genji is "Once upon a time" story, like fairy tales. A good story takes the reader far beyond time and place. Let us also travel to the world of Genji.
Summary
Once upon a time, there was a woman who was loved by the emperor(Kiritsubo). Due to her low class, She was the subject of jealousy and criticism. She died of illness after giving birth to a beautiful prince. This prince is the hero of this story.When the prince was young, a Korean fortune teller predicted.
"He can be the father of the country. However, it will not make him happy"
The emperor considered the prince's happy. and he decided to make the prince his vassal (Genji).A woman looks like Kiritsubo enters the court(Fujitsubo).The emperor loves her. Genji also admires Fujitsubo like mother.
Comment
Introduction to the story. Several important events occur. The loss of his mother, power struggles, the prophecy of a fortune teller... these events have a impact on Genji's destiny. Genji is a family name given by the emperor. If a person did not have the right to succeed to the throne, he took the family name not as a prince, but as a vassal.
Kiritsubo is the name of a section in the imperial court. Why it was called Kiritsubo (Paulownia Court) because Paulownia trees(kiri) were planted in the garden. The mother of Genji, who lived there, was called the 'Koui of Kiritsubo.(桐壺更衣)'. That name was shortened, and in this tale, she’s simply referred to as 'Kiritsubo.'
Confusingly, the emperor who loved Kiritsubo (Genji's father) is also called 'Emperor Kiritsubo(桐壺帝)', to distinguish him from emperors of other generations.