One Scene from the Agemaki Chapter of Genji Monogatari : Uji Nakanokimi and Kaoru's Night Together

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  • 『源氏物語』総角巻の一場面 : 宇治中君と薫の一夜
  • 『 ゲンジ モノガタリ 』 ソウ カクマキ ノ イチバメン : ウジ チュウ クン ト カオル ノ イチヤ

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Abstract

In the Yadorigi chapter, Nakanokimi's first child is described as white (shiroku) or cute (utsukushi), overlapping with Kaoru in his infancy in the Kashiwagi and Yokobue chapters. This overlap between Kaoru and Nakanokimi's first child is interesting, as these expressions are not used with any other infants. Why is the child of Nakanokimi compared to Kaoru and not Niou? While Nakanokimi's first child is clearly of Niou, if one focuses only on the overlapping expressions, the narrative can also be understood as suggesting the child to be the illegitimate child of Nakanokimi and Kaoru. Following the narrative in this way, reading Nakanokimi's child as an illegitimate child presupposes a sexual liaison between Nakanokimi and Kaoru. Are there any expressions in the narrative which suggest the consummation of sexual relations? And, what expressions support a narrative suggesting this kind of relationship? Taking this approach, this paper will address the expressions concerning the night Nakanokimi and Kaoru spent together in the Agemaki chapter. The purpose of this paper is to consider the potentiality of sexual relations between Kaoru and Nakanokimi by examining the expressions used in the narrative.

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