When I first read The Tale of Genji, I was devastated.
First of all, the names of japanese aristocratic women at that time were not made public, but there were many, many women in this book...
You can't say the name, you have to distinguish them. Imagine if every girl in "Dream of the Red Chamber" didn't have a name, how hard it would be to read.
Of course, it is not completely impossible, what Kirito changing clothes, Aoi above, as well as the author Purple Style Department ... The people watching were dazed.
In fact, at that time, Japan and the Tang Dynasty had close exchanges, and they learned from the Tang Dynasty from the title to the clothing. But they also have their own culture, and they will localize and improve what they learn.
As a result, the two cultures collided with each other, and time passed. When we look back today at the names, rituals, diets, words, and so on of the Heian period, it is inevitable that we will feel complicated and vague. Historians have also debated the Heian period.
And the difficulty of reading caused by these things makes us daunted by the Tale of Genji. Not only the Tale of Genji, but also many historical and literary works from the Heian and Sengoku periods in Japan are difficult to understand because of these questions.
Pulling so much, let's get to the point.
Today I would like to briefly talk about the Heian period in Japan and the naming conventions for women at that time. These are also the results of my desperate efforts to read "The Tale of Genji"!
The eyes desire to change the world, and the heart to stop at the end.
The world is frequently replaced, and indifference is the truth.
--Murasaki Shikibu, Genji-no-Satoshi
Illustration of The Tale of Genji
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<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="68" > The Tale of Genji</h1>
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="69" >- Heian period and Datang culture</h1>
The Tale of Genji is a novel written by Japanese female writer Shishibe during the Heian period, and the world's first novel. Set against the backdrop of the heyday of Japan's Heian Dynasty, the book describes the life experiences and love stories of the protagonist, Genji.
The idea of "material mourning" in "The Tale of Genji" has influenced Japan for nearly a thousand years, and this unique way of thinking and expression can often be seen in many Japanese literature and anime, film and television works.
The Heian period is a historical period in ancient Japan, also known as the "Heian Period" and the "Heian Kyo Period".
This title is very similar to China's "Spring and Autumn Period", "Warring States Era", "Wei and Jin Period". In short, it refers to the period from 794 when the Japanese Emperor moved the capital from Nara to Heian Kyo (present-day Kyoto) and until the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate in 1192.
The word "Heian" comes from "Heian Kyo", which was the name of Kyoto at that time. Historians today often argue about the beginning of the Heian period, but the age of the controversy fluctuates for more than a decade.
Dispatch tang envoy, this term must be familiar to everyone, dispatch tang envoy active from the beginning of the seventh century AD to the end of the ninth century AD. In Japan, it is around the Nara period and the Heian period.
Due to the close exchanges between Japan and the Tang Dynasty at that time, there was also the yearning of japanese aristocrats for the Culture of the Tang Dynasty. Datang culture and Confucianism took root in Japan. The Tale of Genji was produced in that era and was greatly influenced by Tang Dynasty culture.
Some people may ask, why do you want to talk about Datang culture here? Because Japan during this period was influenced by Confucian culture, it began to have the habit of making ordinary women's maiden names unfair to the public. For women, unless they are the emperor's official concubines or the wives and mothers of the wives and daughters of the heavy subjects, their names do not appear in the historical records.
Moreover, in the ancient Chinese customs, there was a habit of not calling the names of noble people directly, also known as "讳". Sometimes even the official rank is not directly called, the most obvious example is the use of "Eastern Palace" to refer to the prince.
Japan in the Heian period also followed this custom, sometimes referring to noble people by their residence, but sometimes with other titles.
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Murasaki Shikibu, Seishou 纳纳
During the Heian period, there were some officially appointed female officials in the palace, such as shangshi and pawns. They have their own rank, so they will be called by official titles.
However, there is a high probability that there are many people in the same official position, and what if you encounter promotion and demotion?
The waiting name came into being. The waiting name is actually to facilitate the use of the name chosen by these female officials. It is generally in the form of a marker word + official position.
Later, there was a women's room. The women's house was a female official who did not accept formal appointments from the imperial court, most of whom were the daughters of noble families, and they entered the palace to become the attendants of the queen concubines.
In fact, this rule in China has also existed since ancient times and has been passed down for thousands of years. Do you remember the once very popular through-the novel "Step by Step", Ruoxi, as the sister of the Crown Prince's side Fujin, still entered the palace and became a female official. This nature is similar to that of the women's room.
However, the women's rooms are all doing the work of female officials, and they may not have a rank because of their birth. Their names are still in the form of markers + official positions, but the official positions here are generally their fathers and brothers, or the masters they serve, or their own ranks. And their status in the court is also determined by the official position of their father and brother or their own rank, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they are official positions.
For example, the author of the Tale of Genji, Zi Shibu, she and Kiyoshi Nayan and Izumi Shibu are known as the three talented women of the Heian period, and she is also one of the Thirty-six Song Immortals of the Middle Ages.
Zishibu was originally surnamed Fujiwara, and her brother's official position was Shibu Shōgun, so she was called Fujishibu when she had just entered the palace. Later, she was praised for the Purple Hime in The Tale of Genji, and was also known as the Purple Style Department. In a sense, the Purple Style Department can also be regarded as relying on its own efforts to win its own name.
Legend has it that the original name of the Purple Division was Kako Fujiwara or Fujinoko, but it is impossible to verify.
And Qing Shaona, the author of "Pillow Grass", said that this title is slightly different. Her original surname was Qingyuan, and none of her father and brother were in the official position of "Shao Na Yan", which historians have examined as her uncle's official position.
Her nickname is not Nuozi in Pillow Grass, but it is not very credible. Qing Shao Na Yan is also one of the Thirty-six Song Immortals of the Middle Ages, and her great-grandfather's adoptive father is also one of them, which shows that Qing Shao Na Yan can be said to be the source of family learning.
The Izumi-style department is even more worth mentioning. Wazumi's husband, Tachibana Michizen, was once appointed as Wazumi Mori, so she was called "Izumi-style Department". Although the two later broke up, she was still known as Izumi Shibu.
It is really humbling enough to think that the mark of the ex-husband he hated will always remain in his name, even after a thousand years, his name is no longer available, but his mark cannot be erased.
Interestingly, the Purple Andishibu served the Shōko Nakagu (equivalent to the Imperial Concubine) at that time, while the Qingshao Nayan served the Empress Dowager. As political enemies, Zi Shibu and Kiyoshi Nayan, although known as the double bi of Japanese literature, were not close to each other during their lifetime, and even the Purple Shibu repeatedly ridiculed Qing Shao Nayan.
More interesting examples are the three Daido, the daughters of the Purple Division, a title that combines the ranks of her husband and herself.
There is also the daughter of the Izumi-style department, the small-style department internal servant. She is also one of the Thirty-Six Song Immortals of the Middle Ages. In her title, "Xiaoshibu" comes from the official position of her maternal grandfather, that is, the father of Izumi Shibu. Since both she and her mother served at the time, in order to distinguish herself, she was called "Little Style".
Speaking of this, I have to mention the word "style department". "Shibu" is from the "Tang Law", and in ancient Japan, it was "Shibu Province", which was the second of the eight provinces, responsible for the appointment and dismissal of civil officials, which also caused competition among Japanese nobles.
Three Ministries and Six Provinces, Governing the Security of the Country; Seventy-Two Types of Ministries To Appease the People of the World - "Tang Law"
Of course, this type of naming method also has "calling names". Some women come to work as women's houses, but their fathers and brothers do not hold high official positions. In order to distinguish their status, they are assigned official positions to become "summons".
This phenomenon appeared at the time of the rise of the samurai family, after all, at that time, many women's houses in the general's palace could not all be of aristocratic origin, but they had to support such a structure, so the "summoning name" came into being.
In the Tale of Genji, there are also many female officials and women's rooms. For example, Zi Ji's nursing mother is less than Na Yan, such as Wang Ming's wife. The order woman here refers to the official rank of a female official, which is different from the Chinese life woman.
The Tale of Genji
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<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="124" > Purple and Purple</h1>
In the Tale of Genji, the first wife of the Hikari clan is called "Aoi Shangshang", and later Zi Ji is also called "Purple Above", what does this mean?
"Above" is actually an ancient honorific title for Japanese women, which is equivalent to calling so-and-so to men, and calling noble women above so-and-so.
"姬" refers mostly to the daughters of the lords of the daimyo, Hao, and branch castles, also known as princesses. It is usually distinguished by a word in the princess's name, or place of birth, plus "姬".
Aoi-hime's mother is the younger sister of Emperor Kirito, and her identity is enough to be called "Aoi Shangshang". Aoi-hime is arguably the most noble person in the book, and Genji says she "hasn't had a single flaw." "Such a temperament is afraid that only such a birth can be cultivated." Aoi-hime appears in the chapter "Aoi", so it is called Aoi-hime.
Zi Ji was originally called Wakami because of Genji's comfrey poems. Later, because of Ruo Zi, she was called Purple Shangshang.
And, of course, Akashihime, which is above Akashi. She was born in Akashi and appears in the chapter Akashi, so she is called Akashi.
Her daughter, later Akashi Gomyo, was also known as Akashi Hime-kun.
Here we should briefly mention the "party", and the noble lady can become "above XX," and the title of the lady can be "xx square". It is worth noting that there is no habit in Japan that a little girl cannot be called "above XX" after she marries.
Then the wife of the Japanese nobleman is also called "Kitanokata", the wife of the Japanese nobleman generally lives in the room in the north, "Kitanokata" means the lady who lives in the north, that is, the meaning of the wife.
It is like a lonely boat on the shore, gradually drifting away and becoming stranger. - Purple Shibu, The Tale of Genji
Purple Ji of the game works
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< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="139" > Fuji 壶jojo,Kiriko changing clothes Rokujo Gosho</h1>
Of course, during the Heian period, women in the court would also have different forms of title. For example, in "The Tale of Genji", Hikari's mother Kiritsugu changed clothes, her lover Barnacles, her daughter Akashi Nakamiya and so on.
What does this name mean?
In fact, this title is somewhat similar to the title of the female official mentioned earlier. The title of a female official is a marker word + official position, and here this is a marker word + rank.
Most of the markers are the palaces where they live. For example, barnacles and tung pots are the names of palaces. This is also very similar to ancient China. For example, the barnacle female imperial lady, we can understand it as the barnacle courtyard female imperial lady. For example, the Hua Concubine of "The Biography of Zhen Huan" is called Yi Kun Palace Hua Concubine Niangniang, so if you change it to this name, it is Yi Kun Hua Fei or Yi Kun Concubine, is it completely understandable.
The marker word is not the only one, and in a few years, if the palace is re-inhabited, then the marker word will also change.
Of course, if your seniority has reached the level of the Emperor Taishang, then the marking word used earlier can be XX Yuan, which is generally an honorific title for the Emperor Taishang, and is the number of the court rather than the residence.
Here to mention the ring number, not all xx courtyards are courtyard numbers, or it may be the ring number.
During the Heian period, after the death of the husband, the wife would become a monk, and after she became a monk, she could be called a monk in the name of the monastery, XX Temple. Of course, in the Warring States period, the nobles would become monks, so xx yuan did not necessarily refer to women, but also may be male.
Then let's mention the XX round. In the later period of Ping'an, there will be such a name as XX Bureau. This is the name of the relatively high status of the women's room, they may have their own very small residence in the palace, it is marked by rank or residence, called XX bureau. There is also a less common usage called XX town, which is very similar to xx bureau.
The Tale of Genji Museum
Women in the Japanese court may have many titles, but in fact, china is also the same.
Still take the example of Concubine Hua in the Biography of Zhen Huan (I really like Concubine Hua), she lives in Yikun Palace, her name is Murong Shilan, her father and brother are great generals, and she has the titles of "Hua", "Hua" and "Shun".
She also has a myriad of different titles, but we mention that she will say "Huafei", even if she is no longer "Huafei", but as spectators, we will still use "Huafei" to refer to her. It's just that when she is not "Huafei", the official title in the palace must not be "Huafei", otherwise it is taboo.
The same is true at the Japanese court. Many famous Japanese women have many titles before they die, but thousands of years later, when we mention her, it is only a specific title. There are also many women who have the same title, but we often use a certain title to refer to a person.
Let's talk about a more special example, the six concubines in the Tale of Genji, that is, the rokujo gosho.
Her soul killed Aoi Ji, who had just given birth to YuMi, and her soul also scared Xi Yan to death. In "The Tale of Genji", her actions have caused countless tragedies, and also caused Genji to lose his beloved person again and again. Many readers hate her with their teeth tickled. So, how did her name come about?
Michisho is the collective name for female imperial guards with children in the Japanese court. However, in the Tale of Genji, as long as it is a female imperial family, you can use this title to change clothes.
And rokujō imperial rest house, everyone knows that she was the former late Tokyomiya Crown Prince's Higashi palace concubine, also gave birth to a daughter, so it is called "Goji".
The word "six articles" is often familiar to people who read Japanese literature or film and television works, how can so many people call it "x-strip".
In fact, "Ichijo" to "Kujo" are all areas near Kyoto. At that time, only high-ranking courtiers or royalty would be sealed near there. Their descendants take the fief as their "surname", and these people are called "x-stripes".
In fact, the correct way to say this "surname" is Miaozi, the surname itself is still the original surname, Miaozi is like a branch, of course, there are some Japanese people today who use Miao as a surname.
This habit is actually very similar to our Spring and Autumn Warring States period, when people took the fief as their surname, and the original nobles at that time had a surname and a surname, and then there was only one surname.
There is a small detail here, Yukie has a maid named "Sanjo", and she looks particularly rude in front of Genji's maid. However, when you see the surname "Sanjo", you can know that her origin is very good. From this, we can also glimpse Xi Yan's life.
Xi Yan was the daughter of three lieutenant generals (here the three lieutenant generals, three are ranked, lieutenant generals), but due to the early death of her parents, she was raised by a maid. It can be said that her life is also very much in line with the routine of the heroine of general romance novels.
Hate things are unforgettable, but they will go astray again. - Purple Shibu, The Tale of Genji
Speaking of which, can you understand the Tale of Genji more?
Purple Shibu's talent can really be said to be unique in history, and she has a unique vision to look at every flower and tree in this world. She is rich in the gentleness characteristic of girls.
Whenever I immersed myself in the Tale of Genji and looked at those stories, I realized that it was not only wars and magnificent epics that could be called masterpieces. The gentleness and smallness of girls, such a lingering love story can also be fascinating, and can also affect a nation for thousands of years.
The dream of glory, I do not have much desire, only hope to enjoy the natural beauty of these four seasons:
For example, spring flowers and autumn leaves, changing sky colors, and so on.
Since ancient times, many people have been arguing about the flowers and trees in spring and the wild hopes in autumn.
This is really something that is difficult to judge suddenly.
The people of Tang Tu seem to think that spring flowers are like brocade, which is the most desirable;
And my song seems to be more autumnal. What is right or wrong?
In fact, looking at the scenery, the scenery is everywhere, which is dazzling, how to evaluate the merits of the flowers and birds?
I had to try my best to experience the changes of the four seasons in the narrow walls, plant flowers and trees in the spring, weeds in the autumn, etc., so that the grass worms that no one could fall on had a place to live, or let the people who knew the sound appreciate it...
INTERVIEWER MURASAKI SHIKIBU, Genji's Pottery
This article is written by Ayane Ayane (Zhihu)
Reprinted with the author's authorization, slight additions or subtractions from the original text