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Concept
Lady Rokujō
Summary
Lady Rokujō is a fictional character in The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari). She is a mistress of the novel's protagonist, Hikaru Genji, with whom she becomes infatuated with and jealous of his other lovers. Her jealousy subconsciously causes her ikiryō (wandering spirit) to become a Shiryo (also known as a Yūrei) that attacks and murders multiple other mistresses and wives of Genji.
Lady Rokujō is a relatively minor character in the novel. She appears in chapters Kiritsubo, Hana no En, Sakaki, Miotsukushi and Wakana. Outside of these chapters, Lady Rokujō has little mention or influence on the novel.
Lady Rokujō is also the protagonist of two Nōh dramas. In Nonomiya ("The Shrine in the Fields"), Lady Rokujō pretends to be a village woman who tells a traveling monk of Lady Rokujō's story. In Aoi no Ue ("Lady Aoi"), Lady Rokujō possesses Genji's wife, Lady Aoi, out of jealousy, causing Lady Aoi to fall ill. Aoi no Ue was later adapted into a modern stage play by Yukio Mishima in The Lady Aoi.
Lady Rokujō is based on the role of Japanese noblewomen consorts in the 12th century.
Her character is named after her residence on Sixth Street (Rokujō) of the capital city Heian-kyō, Kyogoku. She is also referred to as Rokujō no Miyasundokoro depending on translations. Her name is an alias as the novel was written during the Heian era during which it was considered socially unacceptable to mention individuals by given name.
Lady Rokujō is the daughter of a high ranking Minister of the Left. Before the events of The Tale of Genji, Lady Rokujō was the consort to the crown prince. Lady Rokujō had a daughter with the crown prince at 16, whom they named Akikonomu. At 20 years old, the crown prince died. Lady Rokujō became a consort of Emperor Reizei.
Lady Rokujō is first mentioned in the novel in the chapter Kiritsubo. A teenage Genji begins his affair with the older Lady Rokujō, who at the time was also a consort of Emperor Reizei. Genji loses interest in Lady Rokujō and delays the intervals between their meetings.
Official source
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