To the Shining You, Part 38: Dazzling Darkness" Synopsis & Whatever You Want to Say This Week
Black Michinaga in full swing! The three biggest stars, Murasaki Shikibu, Sei Shonagon, and Izumi Shikibu, are all here.The motivation for writing

I'm M-san, who was on duty this week, or rather last week, but I'm behind schedule due to various circumstances. I'm sorry. After this, Ms. N, who is on duty this week, will upload it soon, so I should be able to make up for the delay. Please wait a little while.

The 38th episode featured a meaningful exchange between the three greatest female literary stars of the Heian period. It was a very entertaining episode, including Black Michinaga's quibbling.

Kikyo comes to attack Mahiro who is in Fujitsubo.

The opening scene was a battle between Mahiro and Kikyo - well, more like a battle, it was a carnage that in some ways was more like Kikyo's "attack."

In terms of historical fact, it is unclear whether Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon had any contact with each other, and in fact there seems to be a strong theory that they did not. However, if the two had met at that time, that is, around the time Prince Atsunari was born and Emperor Ichijo began visiting Fujitsubo, Sei Shonagon would not have been able to forgive Murasaki Shikibu for writing a story that had captured the Emperor Ichijo's heart, and would surely have uttered some of those same words of resentment.

As Kikyo moved, the lighting cast shadows on her face, making her expression more stern, and in the end her eyes were bulging... It was a scary scene.

Ishu finally broke. Shohei Miura, was your tooth okay?

Speaking of eyes that were lifted up, Ise's was the same. Not just lifted up, it was completely broken.

In the scene where he bites down the doll, I was worried that Shohei Miura, who was acting in the scene, would lose a tooth.

On the other hand, his younger brother Takaie gradually becomes more and more sensible as the story progresses. Later, he becomes very active in Kyushu and helps Michinaga, proving Abe no Seimei's prophecy that "I will help Michinaga in the future."

I researched it and found out that the Takaie family continued to be a high-ranking aristocrat until the Meiji era. Ise's miserable life began when he shot an arrow at Kazan-in, so you never know what will become of you.

Here it is! Black Michinaga. But what he's saying seems like a lame excuse...

Black Michinaga comes to the forefront. He calls his son and tells him what he must do. It's been a while since we've seen a Godfather-like performance. The music is also a pipe organ. I think Michinaga probably understands what he's saying, but the logic is subtle and rather flawed.

"Basically, as long as there is a strong support, it doesn't matter who the emperor is."

"However, if someone appears who unnecessarily tries to upset the Emperor's will, the Imperial Court will fall into chaos."

"We want an emperor who can trust us at all times. That emperor is Lord Atsunari."

Here's the pipe organ.

"It's not for the prosperity of the house."

"What we must do is to exercise unshakable power and carry out government affairs for the people."

Well, at first glance he seems to be saying something reasonable, but in the end it just seems like a lame excuse to make his grandson the emperor. If Prince Atsuyasu became emperor, then from Korechika's side, Michinaga would be the one needlessly shaking up the emperor's heart. This is the full extent of Michinaga's dark side. Is this what the "dazzling darkness" in the title refers to?

It is not hard to understand how Yorimichi was surprised to hear such a thing out of the blue. However, Michinaga was determined to forge ahead with making Prince Atsunari the Crown Prince.

This is because he saw the slightly dangerously intimate relationship between Akiko and Prince Atsuyasu. Naturally, what came to his mind was the Tale of Genji as written by Mahiro. The image of Hikaru Genji having an affair with his stepmother Fujitsubo. "Oh no, this is just like the story in Mahiro's story," he must have thought.

The Tale of Genji, Akiko and Prince Atsuyasu, and Mahiro and Michinaga. A multi-layered story

Mahiro, on the other hand, has written some unusual words such as "infidelity," "adultery," and "sin" on the paper, with a thoughtful look on his face.

You could say he is planning the story, and if you think about it carefully, the relationship between himself and Michinaga is also "immoral" and "fornication." The story of The Tale of Genji, the precarious relationship between Akiko and Prince Atsuyasu, and himself and Michinaga. The story progresses with many overlapping intentions and a multi-layered sound. It's quite deep! Who would have imagined it would become such a deep drama at the beginning? Amazing!!

In the midst of all this, Mahiro slyly asks Michinaga if he could give him something for his daughter, Kenko's, formal attire. As the girl's father, it's only natural. Whether he knew he was the father or pretended not to know, Michinaga even suggested that Kenko be made to serve as Akiko's lady-in-waiting. Nine years later, Kenko actually became Akiko's lady-in-waiting.

"Huh?" Kenko, who used to act all serious, would eventually be known as a woman who had many lovers, and would go on to have her name in the Hyakunin Isshu as Daini Sanmi (rank of Daini Sanmi) alongside her mother, Murasaki Shikibu. It's quite moving. By the way, there is another mother-daughter pair who has their names in the Hyakunin Isshu: Akane, also known as Izumi Shikibu, and her daughter, Koshikibu Uchimachi.

"Is The Tale of Genji your job?" Akane asks innocently. Mahiro can't answer.

At first, Akane's light-heartedness seemed out of place and I felt a bit uneasy, but when she appeared in the midst of an otherwise heavy atmosphere, I felt a bit of relief and the tension eased.

It's hilarious that she refused to call herself Izumi Shikibu when asked.

Akane gives Mahiro the "Izumi Shikibu Diary." If you think about it, the exchange is quite meaningful.

"While writing this, I began to wish I was still alive. Writing has given me new life again. By writing The Tale of Genji, you too were able to relieve your own sorrow, weren't you?" Akane asks Mahiro.

In response, Mahiro said, "I don't feel that way. I wrote this story because I was asked to. But writing helps me relieve all my stress."

"It's work," Akane innocently replies. Mahiro has no answer to that. Maybe it's because she's only half right?

The writing motives of the three great female writers of the Heian period are now revealed

The conversation with Kikyo at the beginning overlaps.

Kikyo wrote "The Pillow Book" thinking of Empress Sadashi whom she loved dearly. Akane wrote "The Izumi Shikibu Diary" in order to prolong her own life.

His motivation for writing The Tale of Genji, which he began in order to win the heart of Emperor Ichijo, may have been a little less pure than those of the other two, and so when he was told it was "work," he may have been unable to find the right words to respond.

No, no, at the core of her motivation was her love for Michinaga, wanting to help him in his time of need, but she was unable to make this public, and once she began writing, her creative drive as a writer drove her to continue writing the enormous story...

Murasaki Shikibu, Sei Shonagon, and Izumi Shikibu. The three biggest stars of female literature in the Heian period appeared, and the 38th episode made us think deeply about the creation of each work. It was a very moving episode apart from the main story of Michinaga's rise to power.

The 40th episode is fast approaching. When a taiga drama reaches its 40th episode, you are filled with a sad feeling that there are only a few more episodes left and December is fast approaching. I wonder how the ending will turn out. I'm looking forward to the next episode!!

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!