10. Lady Akiko meets her old work again.
明子（花園院対御方）は、長い旅を経て戻ってきた源氏物語の写本を前に、若い日の思い出を語り始めます。量仁親王の立坊が決まり、喜びと不安とに包まれていたある日、親王の師父花園院は、正親町姉妹を集めて、とある計画を持ちかけました・・・・・・。
対御方、むかしの物語取り返し給ふ事
She picked a rectangular card from the pages. A knotted blue silk ribbon was tied with it. Two maple leaves were sandwiched between two layers of thin transparent paper. The leaves had turned brown long years before.
“They were slipped in every book of the series,” Okihito said in front of the large wooden box filled with the books. The box had been carried from the princess’s hut some distance from the Southern palace. Her nanny, a middle-aged nun, was surprised at the arrival of the Northern royal family.
“I should have chosen a variety of plants that suited the story of each issue, but I hadn’t noticed when I was young. I just knew he liked green maple leaves in late spring so much, and I sealed my secret love in these bookmarks. Anyway, I made new ones with cherry blossoms this year.” Akiko opened her stationery box. “I’ll add kerria and new green maples in here.”
“They were crafted very well,” Lady Iga said. She had changed her wardrobe, suitably as a madam of the higher samurai. She was in double silk robes with the pattern of freshwater streams. Her son, Kotarō, was playing in the kitchen with Tsugiko.
“Sorry to make the book soaked in water...” Iga apologized to Akiko. The issue that was dropped in the river had been drying on the shelf of the living room.
“It’s an esprit that the issue was ‘Ukifune’.”[1] The people laughed together, and Akiko smiled and touched her eyes with her sleeve.
“Please tell me the story about the copy of The Tale of Genji. I must explain a new paranormal story for my Empress Dowager tomorrow,” Iga said.
“I’ll do that with pleasure, but it’s getting close to dinner time,” Akiko said. At the same time, Takako came into the kitchen with a good smell of baked fish in the courtyard. Kotarō jumped up and began to follow her.
“Oh, young Lord Kusunoki. Please wait just a minute for your dish!”
At the same time, Iga’s stomach sounded loudly. She blushed and covered her face with her long sleeves.
...
Everything has its soul or spirit. I’m not surprised by the ghost of books. In the old days, a part of Hanazono and the Ōgimachi sisters’ souls were copied into the books.
As soon as it was decided that Prince Kazuhito would officially become the crown prince, ex-Emperor Hanazono called us privately. He asked the Ōgimachi sisters to make a surprise present for the prince.
“Ladies, as you know,” he told us solemnly, “if he becomes emperor, he cannot continue to love only one woman. However, in my opinion, as a mediocre man, having many wives isn’t always happy, contrary to popular opinions about men.”
Then he spoke about his plan to make a copy of Genji for our prince. “I gave him a lot of books about history and governance in Japan and foreign countries, but no novels. Thus, he is a bit square and naive. I think Kazuhito should learn women’s thoughts and their hearts.”
In truth, his private budget was not so much, so we weren’t able to hire named chirographers and use luxury papers. However, we were excited to work to make a copy with our own hands. Look, the artwork in every book was drawn by Hanazono. I learned that after that, he had contributed many illustrations to comic scrolls as an anonymous artist. What luxury books we sent to our crown prince!
Sometimes Saneko, one of my elder sisters, recalled his order and laughed a lot, hitting the writing desk.
“‘...Kazuhito should learn women’s thoughts and their hearts!’ Oh, no. Does he surely think he knows women’s hearts? Through the reading habits of Shining Genji? He is a nice boy. I, I can’t stop laughing!”
I loved my prince, of course, although he didn’t look at me as a romantic person, and the time had come for a decision in my life. A man who would be my ex had sent me letters every two or three days since I had become an adult. I didn’t hate him, and I realized I had to go outside of my dream.
My sisters and I talked about our loves, futures, and stories during the work. We hadn’t known war or death. It was a good day, but nothing is eternal, as is the life of Shining Genji...
I’m so happy to find our books that have been lost since the war began again, and I’m sorry for Princess Tsudzure and her mother. Lady Otogi shouldn’t have died for the copy, and the horrible memory shouldn’t torture the princess.
Oh. Kotarō-san. You were able to finish your fish. How about your supper this evening? Is it delicious? Yes, yes. You’re a good boy.
-----
1. A chapter with a character in The Tale of Genji. She called Ukifune (a drifting boat) after the chapter. She had a love triangle with Kaoru (the son of Genji, but his birth father was Kashiwagi) and Niou no Miya (the prince, a grandson of Genji), so she attempted suicide in River Uji.
Continued in Chapter 11, "The ex-emperor speaks to the void and plays hell’s biwa."
第11章 「法皇、ともしびと語りて地獄の琵琶を弾じたまふ事」に続きます。
