#akashi lady

[maiji]

I know I finished the Yoshikiyo piece in the Genjimonogatari series a while back, but I kept forgetting to post this.

Yoshikiyo forms pairs with:

Koremitsu (Genji’s loyal retainers)

Akashi lady (unrequited love)

Akashi Novice (cockblocker)

You could also do a trio of Genji flanked by his retainers, but TBH I didn’t really think much about the three of them as a composition... as you can probably tell... As a straight-line composition I think these three look best when Yoshikiyo or Koremitsu are in the middle. I guess you could make the argument from a conceptual/narrative perspective they have to go ahead of Genji to clear the way. Or after him to clean up his messes

Looking at them now, I might have made him face forward a little more... but whatever, he’s done!

[maiji]

Almost 1 year later, I can finally pull together Genji’s Ladies of the Seasons grouping!

Murasaki (spring) -  Hanachirusato (summer) - Akikonomu (autumn) - Akashi (winter)

Genjimonogatari series

[maiji]

Bright Stone, 2018 Fude de mannen, fountain pen ink, watercolour

I'm a huge, huge fan of the Akashi lady - the lady of winter, whom Genji falls in love with in spite of himself (he was actually trying really really hard to behave, being exiled in Suma and all). She's one of the most humble and rational characters in the book, and the mutual respect and friendship that grows between her and Lady Murasaki is another aspect I appreciated. Despite her far off-the-beaten path upbringing, and the fact her situation will never permit her the grander position she honestly deserves, she more than holds her own against the most stylish and skilled noblewoman in the imperial palace.

Lady Akashi’s musical ability is highly praised in the story, and while she's frequently associated with the biwa (Japanese lute, similar to the Chinese pipa), her skill on the so no koto impresses the heck out of Genji. Scholars of the tale also agree she's the best poet out of the entire cast. Sadly I have a hard time telling because all the poems in English end up sounding very similar at face value. I'm centuries too behind to be able to understand all the literary references, and clever puns and wordplay - so crucial in Japanese poetry - are lost in translation. Getting them explained after the fact just isn't the same as being able to experience it directly...

Genjimonogatari series