The Rest Is History
560. The Golden Age of Japan: Lady Murasaki and the Shining Prince (Part 1)
27 Apr 2025
At the height of Imperial Japan, during a golden age of court intrigue, obsessive hierarchy, and fabulous sophistication, who was the legendary lothario and emperor’s son, Genji? What can the Tale of Genji - a great masterpiece of Japanese literature - tell us about this remarkable and alien world, and the imperial family at the heart of it? Who was the woman who wrote it, at a time when in the West it would have been unthinkable? What was the influence of China, Japan’s powerful neighbour, on the world the text describes? And, does the story hold the secrets to the divine power of the Japanese emperors…? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the thrilling and romantic Tale of Genji; the historical man behind the myth, and the glorious world of Imperial Japan, with its glittering court. The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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In a certain reign, whose can it have been? Someone of no great rank, among all his Majesty's consorts and intimates, enjoyed exceptional favour. Those others who had always assumed that pride of place was properly theirs despised her as a dreadful woman, while the lesser intimates were unhappier still.
The way she waited on him day after day only stirred up feeling against her, and perhaps this growing burden of resentment was what affected her health. and obliged her often to withdraw in misery to her home. But His Majesty, who could less and less do without her, ignored his critics until his behaviour seemed bound to be the talk of all.
So that is the opening paragraph of the supreme, unchallenged, canonical classic of Japanese literature. It's a novel called The Tale of Genji. And to give you a sense of the sheer weight of it, in the translation by Royal Tyler, which we'll be quoting from a fair bit today, that book is more than 1,000 pages long. Now, Tom, we're not the rest is literature.
So what is a Japanese novel doing on a history podcast? Please explain.
Two answers. So as you said, this is the great classic of Japanese literature. I guess the obvious parallel might be with Don Quixote.
Yeah.
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