Quoted from the Tale of Genji translated by Edward G. Seidensticker (Everyman’s Library 1992).
| characters | descriptions |
|---|---|
| Akashi Empress | Also the Akashi girl, the Akashi princess. Genji’s daughter by the Akashi Lady. Consort of the emperor regnant at the end of the tale. |
| Akashi Lady | Daughter of a former governor of Akashi. Installed by Genji in the northwest quarter at Rokujo. Mother of the Akashi empress. |
| Akikonomu | Daughter of a former crown prince and the Rokujo lady. Consort of the Reizei emperor. First cousin of Genji and Asagao. |
| Aoi | Genji’s first wife. Daughter of a Minister of the Left and Princess Omiya. Sister of To no Chujo. Mother of Yugiri. |
| Asagao | Genji’s first cousin. Daughter of a brother of his father. |
| Bennokimi | In attendance upon Kashiwagi and later the Uji princesses. |
| Eighth Prince | Brother of Genji and father of the Uji princesses, Origimi and Nakanokimi, and of Ukifune. |
| Emperor | (1) Genji’s father, whose abdication is announced at the beginning of Chapter 9. (2) Suzaku emperor, Genji’s brother, who succeeds to the throne at the beginning of Chapter 9 and abdicates in Chapter 14. (3) Reizei emperor. Thought by the world to be Genji’s brother, but in fact his son by Fujitsubo. Succeeds to the throne in Chapter 14 and abdicates in Chapter 35. (4) A son of the Suzaku emperor who succeeds to the throne in Chapter 35, and is still reigning at the end of the tale. |
| Evening Faces, Lady of the | A lady of undistinguished lineage who is loved by To no Chujo and bears his daughter Tamakazura. |
| Fujitsubo | Daughter of a former emperor, consort of Genji’s father, and mother of Reizei emperor. |
| Genji | Son of the emperor regnant at the opening of the tale. |
| Higekuro | Son of a Minister of the Right, husband of Murasaki’s sister and of Tamakazura, and uncle of the emperor regnant at the end of the tale. |
| Hotaru, Prince | Genji’s brother. Husband of Makibashira. |
| Hyobu, Prince | Brother of Fujitsubo and father of Murasaki. |
| Kaoru | Thought by the world to be Genji’s son, but really Kashiwagi’s. |
| Kashiwagi | Son of To no Chujo and father of Kaoru. Married to the Second Princess, daughter of the Suzaku emperor. |
| Kobai | Younger brother of Kashiwagi. |
| Kojiju | A woman in attendance upon the Third Princess. |
| Kokiden | Daughter of a Minister of the Right. Wife of Genji’s father, sister of Oborozukiyo, and mother of Suzaku emperor. |
| Koremitsu | Genji’s servant and confidant. |
| Kumoinokari | To no Chujo’s daughter and Yugiri’s wife. |
| Locust shell, Lady of the | Wife of a governor Iyo. Installed by Genji among his lesser ladies at Nijo. |
| Makibashira | Daughter of Higekuro. Wife successively of Prince Hotaru and Kobai. |
| Minister of the Left | Several characters. Initially, the husband of Princess Omiya and the father of Aoi and To no Chujo. |
| Minister of the Right | Several characters. Initially, the father of Kokiden and Oborozukiyo and grandfather of the Suzaku emperor. |
| Murasaki | Daughter of Prince Hyobu, niece of Fujitsubo, and granddaughter of a former emperor. |
| Nakanokimi | Second daughter of the Eighth Prince. |
| Niou, Prince | Son of the emperor regnant at the end of the tale and of the Akashi empress. |
| Oborozukiyo | Sister of Kokiden. |
| Oigimi | Oldest daughter of the Eighth Prince. |
| Omi, Lady of | Long-lost daughter of To no Chujo. |
| Omiya, Princess | Genji’s paternal aunt. Mother of Aoi and To no Chujo. |
| Ono, Nun of | Ukifune’s protector. |
| Orange Blossoms, Lady of the | Sister of a lesser concubine of Genji’s father. Installed by Genji in the northeast quarter at Rokujo. |
| Reizei Emperor | Thought by the world to be Genji’s brother, but in fact his son by Fujitsubo. Reigns from Chapter 14 to Chapter 35. |
| Rokujo Lady | Widow of a former Crown Prince, Genji’s uncle. Mother of Akikonomu. |
| Rokunokimi | Daughter of Yugiri and wife of Niou. |
| Safflower Lady | Impoverished, but of royal origins. Installed by Genji among his lesser ladies at Nijo. |
| Second Princess | (1) Daughter of Suzaku emperor and wife of Kashiwagi. (2) Daughte of the emperor regnant at the end of the tale and wife of Kaoru. |
| Suzaku Emperor | Genji’s brother. Reigns from Chapter 9 to Chapter 14. |
| Tamakazura | Daughter of To no Chujo and lady of the evening faces. |
| Third Princess | Daughter of the Suzaku emperor, wife of Genji, and mother of Kaoru. |
| To no Chujo | Son of a Minister of the Left and Princess Omiya and brother of Aoi. Father of Kashiwagi, Kobai, Kumoinokari, Tamakazura, and the Omi lady. |
| Ukifune | Unrecognized daughter of the Eighth Prince. Half-sister of Oigimi and Nakanokimi. |
| Ukon | In attendance upon Ukifune. |
| Yokawa, Bishop of | Brother of the nun of Ono. |
| Yugiri | Son of Genji and Aoi. |
WAKIBITOS 