Discovery of 'Genji' text causes a stir

OSAKA--The literary world is abuzz with the discovery of a complete medieval manuscript of "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji), which scholars say will likely shed light on the original text of this 11th-century masterpiece.

The classic work of prose is considered by many people to be the world's first full-length novel.

The manuscript, called the "Osawa Book," is believed to contain much unrevised text close to the original. Versions circulating now derived from those edited during the Kamakura Period (1192-1333). The most widely read version was established during the Muromachi Period (1338-1573).

The Osawa Book probably dates from the mid-Kamakura Period. It was owned by the Osawa family in Nara Prefecture until World War II. But its whereabouts had remained unknown since then.

Haruki Ii, director-general of the National Institute of Japanese Literature in Tokyo, researched the manuscript at the request of its current owner. The individual's identity was not disclosed.

Ii reported on his findings during a lecture Monday at Osaka Prefecture University in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture.

"This is a precious manuscript copy with value as an important cultural asset," he said.

"The Tale of Genji" was written by Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman in the Heian Period (794-1185) court. The original text is lost to history.

Made up of 54 chapters, the novel traces the life and loves of a prince called Hikaru Genji, or the shining Genji, and, after his death, of his "son."

Before printing took hold in Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1867), many different handwritten copies were created.

According to Kikan Ikeda (1896-1956), a scholar of Japanese classic literature, the manuscripts are divided into three groups: Aobyoshi (Blue Book); Kawachi Book; and Beppon (separate books), or various unedited versions.

The Blue Book texts derived from one revised by poet Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241), while the Kawachi Book versions derived from a text amended by Minamoto no Mitsuyuki (1163-1244) and others.

Most of the currently circulated versions are based on a text in the Blue Book group.

According to Ii, each chapter volume of the Osawa Book is about 16 by 16 centimeters, with green covers and gold brocade. The set is in fine condition.

It is a complete set of 54 chapters, but a few chapters once lost were apparently added during the Muromachi Period.

Of the 54 chapters, 28 are unrevised Beppon versions and contain many passages that differ from other Beppon texts.

For example, at the end of the chapter on Yugiri, one of Genji's sons, six characters that mean "at the Naniwa coast" appear. The words do not exist in other versions.

Ii speculates the words may have been taken from a Heian Period poem to express Yugiri's lament that he has grown old.

"By scrutinizing the Osawa Book, we hope to get even a step closer to 'Genji Monogatari' of the Heian Period, before its expressions were refined by Teika," the poet who died 767 years ago, Ii said.

Koichi Fujimoto, a visiting professor of manuscript studies at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, expressed high expectations that the discovery will advance scholarship on the subject.(IHT/Asahi: July 23,2008)