To You Who Shines Episode 32 "Who am I Writing For?" Synopsis & What I Want to Say This Week
The motivation behind writing "The Tale of Genji" is revealed. It is a story for oneself.

This week's M-man is here. Ah, Abe no Seimei died. I really liked him. I had a bad feeling about it because I saw a glimpse of it in the preview... How old was he? I was a bit curious, so I looked up on Wikipedia the ages of not only Abe no Seimei, but also the main characters in the year 32 (Kanko 1005), which was depicted in the 2nd episode.

When you look at your real age, you can see a lot of things.

安部晴明なんと84歳、実資48歳、倫子41歳、道長39歳、公任39歳、斉信38歳、行成33歳、伊周31歳、一条帝25歳、彰子18歳。

Looking at their ages in this way, we can see the background to why Abe no Seimei was likely to die, why Yukinari was treated like a lackey, why Sanesuke had such a strong presence in the Imperial Court, and why Noriko was so relaxed because she was the elder of the ladies-in-waiting. Ise was so arrogant despite his young age, which was largely due to the influence of the Nakakanpaku family and the trust of Emperor Ichijo.

Eh!! Maybe Sei Shonagon didn't actually exist!!

What surprised me a little was that, apart from Emperor Ichijo, the dates of death of Michinaga and Sanesuke are known, but according to Wikipedia, the dates of their births are unknown, only the year. Ages were counted by "counting," so perhaps birthdays were not very important... Therefore, the ages listed here are not exactly accurate, but include an error of one year before or after. Also, they are counted in modern terms, in full years.

As for Mahiro, there are various theories about his birth, but according to Professor Kazuhiro Kuramoto, who is in charge of historical research for this program, "none of them have conclusive evidence and are very difficult to confirm." At the time, even for upper-class aristocrats, only the year of birth was known, so there are no records of the birth years of lower-ranking aristocrats, especially women. However, it is certain that she existed, and if we follow the leading theory, Mahiro would have been 1005 years old in 32, seven years younger than Michinaga.

What's frightening is that Sei Shonagon's name doesn't appear in primary sources such as "Gonki," so it's not 100% certain that she actually existed. Since her name appears in "The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu," it's safe to say that she probably existed. This is also a comment from Professor Kuramoto. Historians are strict!

"The woman I fell in love with was this kind of woman" Michinaga-san, you're late in realizing this!!

Why did Mahiro write "The Tale of Genji"? The motivation for this becomes clear. Mahiro overlooks the fact that the "story" he writes is a tool for Emperor Ichijo to visit Fujitsubo, where Shoshi lives.

Even when he is questioned, "Are you a decoy?", Michinaga shows no remorse. His power-hungry side is revealed. Well, at this point, Mahiro's love for Michinaga seems to have faded.

Even if Emperor Ichijo doesn't like it, he will write what he wants to write. With this resolve, Mahiro takes up his pen. Next to him, Michinaga is lost in thought, "So this is the kind of woman I fell in love with," but you can't help but want to chime in with, "You're late, you only just realized this now?"

Even so, the sight of Mahiro engrossed in writing is simply beautiful.

At first, he was cold towards her. But in reality, he was hooked.

As for Emperor Ichijo, he initially gave a cold response, saying that he had "forgotten." But he must have really fallen in love with the story. He was initially surprised that the suffering he had felt as a human being was so frankly depicted under the name of "Emperor Kiritsubo," but he must have been deeply moved by being treated as a living human being. As a government official, he must have been happy to find someone who understood him, as he had always been treated like a sore thumb.

As Ms. N wrote in her previous article, there are various theories about the order in which the chapters of The Tale of Genji were written, but let's just say that it started with the "Kiritsubo chapter" and that Emperor Ichijo began reading it from there. Otherwise, the story won't get very interesting.

What's unfortunate is that I have no idea what parts of the Tale of Genji Emperor Ichijo is reading or writing in the scenes where Mahiro is writing. I'm sure they chose parts that have some kind of meaning, but I feel frustrated and sad that I can't understand it at all... I regret that I should have studied more, but I'm still sad.

The Imperial Palace is on fire. Will the crisis bring the two together?

On the night of the total lunar eclipse, flames broke out in the Imperial Palace. Prince Atsuyasu escaped first, and Akiko remained in Fujitsubo.

Worried about his child, Emperor Ichijo rushes to Fujitsubo, takes Shoko's hand and they run together. On the way, Shoko takes the usual tumble. Emperor Ichijo gently picks her up. The two of them gaze at each other for a moment in the blazing flames. While I think this is all a bit repetitive, I'm honestly a little excited, but I'm also happy that this might be the catalyst that brings the two of them closer together, and I realize that I'm now completely on Michinaga's side.

However, after that, when Michinaga repeatedly calls out "Empress, Empress," Emperor Ichijo coldly refuses, saying, "I don't want to hear that name." After all, Sadashi is the only Empress in Emperor Ichijo's eyes.

Serving in the harem is actually full of danger.

When Noriko casually asked Michinaga, "How do you know Mahiro-san?", he must have become flustered.

His elder wife, Noriko, must have noticed something. She doesn't show any sign of it and just smiles. It's so scary. But even if it makes her feel a little uncomfortable and her relationship with Mahiro is revealed, Michinaga finally makes Mahiro serve as his wife for his daughter's sake (or more accurately, for the sake of his daughter's sake, so that he can gain power as her grandfather).

At that time, it was mainly the daughters of lower-ranking nobles who served as ladies-in-waiting, while the daughters of the upper classes literally lived as secluded ladies, hidden from public view, in the back of the mansion. Yes, like Michiko. The ladies-in-waiting also slept in the harem, so while it was glamorous, it was also a very dangerous place, as some men would slip through the blinds and sneak in, like Jinsuke in the previous episode. So in Mahiro's house, they were looked at as if they were going to a faraway place, and people worried about them.

Even so, the sentimental words of his father Tametoki, "I'm glad Mahiro is a woman," were quite moving. I thought that it was the exact opposite of what he had said in the past, but I thought that it was his honest, unvarnished feelings.

Mahiro is a "high-minded" person. At first, I expected a storm of criticism.

On her first day of work, the ladies-in-waiting welcomed Mahiro from across the small garden. There were about 10 of them. It was an incredibly beautiful scene. It was just like a Heian picture scroll.

But when I walked down the hallway and faced the group, I noticed that the leader of the group was a mean-looking woman at the front. I had a premonition that she would be bullied. It's no wonder. She excelled in classical Chinese and was also skilled in waka poetry. To the rest of the crowd, Mahiro would be considered "high-minded." What's more, it seems that she may have a tremendous backer in the shape of Michinaga, the Minister of the Left. It's no wonder she was criticized.

What is touching about this is that, among the mean-looking senior ladies-in-waiting, Akazomeemon is the only one who casts a kind gaze on Mahiro. Akazomeemon is around 50 years old at this time. He is said to be the person who later wrote "Eiga Monogatari," which was inspired by the earlier works "Murasaki Shikibu Diary" and "The Tale of Genji," and is said to respect both works. The kind gaze will eventually turn into one of respect. I don't know if the drama will go that far, but I thought it was very well done.

Well, next time, we will finally see the birth of "Toushikibu", or "Murasaki Shikibu". What awaits Murasaki Shikibu under Shoko's guidance? What kind of conversations will she have with Michinaga and Emperor Ichijo? And how will "The Tale of Genji" continue to be written? I'm looking forward to Sunday.

What is the review of “To Shining You”?

"Premium Japan Literature Club" (exaggeration) was formed by people who love literature within the Premium Japan editorial department. For literature lovers, the 2024 taiga drama ``Hikaru Kimi e'' was a perfect opportunity to discuss this and that. Volunteers from the editorial department will continue to freely review articles. Editor S and Editor N reviewed the differences between historical facts and dramas, a deep dive into foreshadowing, and more!