Jealousy 夕霧の巻 (源氏物語絵巻から) 雲居の雁が嫉妬しているところ
徳島市在住 稲井一雄（いない・かずお）
（毎月第３水曜日、ロサンゼルス時間・午後６時から八時まで、オンラインで「源氏物語を原文で読む」セミナーをカルチュラル・ニュースが主催しています。筆者、徳島市の稲井さんは、そのオンラインの参加者です。
(要約)
桐壺帝のモデルは村上天皇や醍醐天皇や宇多天皇などが、弘徽殿の女御のモデルは村上天皇の中宮の藤原安子が、桐壺の更衣のモデルは宇多天皇の妃である班子女王（はんしにょおう）や村上天皇の妃の芳子などが挙げられます。しかし、太古の昔から、天皇制の後宮では、寵愛を受けながら他の妃たちから虐められたり、それが原因で早世したりした女性たちは大勢存在したはずです。
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『源氏物語』の第一帖「桐壺」の桐壺帝、弘徽殿の女御、桐壺の更衣の三人は、物語の事件の発端を担う重要な役割を果たしています。三人のモデル（史実上の人物）について考えてみます。
桐壺帝は物語の主人公・光源氏の父親ですが、モデルについて諸説があります。宇多天皇(867〜931)や醍醐天皇(885〜930)、村上天皇(926〜967)など、平安時代中期の天皇が考えられています。特定の一人をモデルとするのは難しく、複数の天皇の逸話が混じっているように思います。
ただし、筆者が源氏物語第十七帖「絵合（えあわせ）」を読んでいた時です。桐壺帝のモデルは村上天皇かなと思いました。「絵合」は、故六条御息所の娘の梅壺女御と頭中将（この帖では権中納言）の娘の弘徽殿女御（桐壺の巻の人物ではない）とが、互いに所持する絵画の優劣を左右に分かれて競う巻です。弘徽殿の女御には父親の頭中将が強力な後ろ盾となって、今風の流行りの絵を積極的に集めます。一方、故六条御息所が亡くなる前に後見を託された源氏が、梅壺女御の後押しをします。見方を変えますと、「絵合」は、絵の優劣を争うことによる頭中将と源氏とのライバル対決の物語です。
最初の絵合わせは、左方（梅壺女御）の竹取物語（竹取の翁）の絵に対して、右方（弘徽殿女御）は宇津保物語（俊蔭、としかげ）の絵を合わせます。左方の絵は、桐壺の更衣が大切にしていた二条院の御厨子（みずし）にあったもので、昔の有名な物語を画題にした絵を源氏と紫の上の二人が仲良く選びます。一方の右方の絵は、負けず嫌いの頭中将が当代一流の画家や書家を呼び寄せ、珍しく興味のあるものを画題にして、上質の紙や立派な軸、紐飾りなどを取り揃えて豪華に仕上げます。第一回の絵合わせは、現代風で一見見栄えの良い弘徽殿女御の右方が優勢でした。
さて、左方の竹取物語の絵は、巨勢（こせ）の相覽（あうみ）、書は紀貫之の手になるもので、対する右方の宇津保物語の絵は、千枝常則、書は小野道風の手になるものです。それらの画家や書家は実在の人物で、特に右方の絵の千枝常則や小野道風は、源氏の生きる時代と同時代になりますから、源氏物語の桐壺の巻は、村上天皇の御代ということになります。
また、冷泉帝を招いた天覧の絵合せのその日は、天皇の御座（みざ）である御椅子が女房の詰め所に立てられ、その天皇の御座を挟んで北と南に分かれて、天皇や妃のみならず、藤壺や源氏や頭中将や高官たちや女房や宮中に仕える子供たちなどの見物人が参列したと細々書かれていますが、そんな様子は、実際に村上天皇の御代に行われた歌合（和歌の競争）を模したとされています。作者紫式部は、村上天皇の頃の行事をベースに「絵合巻」のことを書いていたのでしょう。
村上天皇は多くの側室を持ち、寵愛した女性との間に優れた子をもうけたという点で、源氏物語の設定と類似点があり、桐壺帝のモデルと考えられます。村上天皇は摂政関白を置かずに親政をしました。源氏物語でも、左右の大臣は登場しますが、摂政関白はいません。さらに村上天皇の中宮の藤原安子は、嫉妬深く勝気な性格だったようで、帝が芳子を寵愛する余りに嫉妬を起こし、控えの部屋の壁に穴を空けて、そこから土器（かわらけ）の破片を投げつけたそうです。妹の登子の入内さえも拒絶しました。源氏物語の桐壺の巻の弘徽殿女御のモデルは藤原安子でしょうか。しかし実際の藤原安子という人は賢明で政治にも明るく、村上天皇は彼女に政務の相談をよくしたそうです。物語内容と史実とは相当違いがあります。
嫉妬深かった天皇の妃の例は、何も村上天皇の時代だけではありません。いつの時代でも嫉妬深い弘徽殿の女御のような有力な女性がいたはずです。『古事記』を読みますと、古く仁徳天皇(生没未詳)の御代に大后の石之比賣命（いしのひめのみこと）がいました。ヒステリックで嫉妬深く、天皇が他国から妃としてある女性を呼び寄せたところが、彼女は宮中に居させなかったということです。石之比賣命が怖くて本の国に逃げ帰った妃もいたそうです。ですから、いにしえの天皇制度の下では、いつの御代でも嫉妬深い有力な女性が後宮にいたに違いありません。
桐壺の更衣は、桐壺帝の彼女への溺愛がもとで、他の妃たちからいじめや嫉妬に苦しめられ、若くして亡くなりますが、嫉妬深い女性たちとは裏腹の存在です。どちらも後宮の制度自体の犠牲者と言えます。桐壺の更衣のモデルは、宇多天皇の妃である班子女王（はんしにょおう）や、村上天皇の妃の芳子が挙げられます。特に、宇多天皇の更衣班子は、寵愛を受けながらも早世したことで、物語の桐壺の更衣の運命と類似します。しかし、そうした悲劇の妃は太古の昔から大勢いたことでしょう。
それに、嫉妬深い本妻のいじめにあった不幸な女性は、何も内裏の話だけではありません。「若紫」の巻で若紫の母親は、夫である兵部卿宮の本妻の北の方のいじめにあって、若くして亡くなったではありませんか。また、「夕霧」の巻で、源氏の息子の夕霧が落葉宮を慕うので、妻の雲居の雁は夫と落葉宮との仲に嫉妬し、夕霧が読んでいた落葉宮の母から来た手紙を奪い取って隠してしまいます。その後、雲居の雁は嫉妬と失意の余り、子供を連れて父の邸に家出してしまい、夕霧が迎えに行っても応じませんでした。階級社会における一夫多妻制の下では、嫉妬深い女性が現れるのはよくあることでしょう。
『源氏物語』の登場人物は、歴史上の特定の一人をモデルにしたと言うより、過去にありがちな逸話や人物像を参考に、ヒントに、あるいは執筆の動機として、紫式部が創造力を発揮して新たに設定した人物だと考えます。
The 12th episode of the Series, “Research diary of sources of Heian hot springs.”
About the models for the characters in the Tale of Genji.
By Kazuo Inai
(Summary)
The model for the Kiritsubo Emperor is said to include emperors such as Emperor Murakami, Emperor Daigo, and Emperor Uda. The model for the Lady of the Kokiden no Nyōgo is Fujiwara no Anshi, the empress of Emperor Murakami, and the model for Kiritsubo no Kōi is said to be Princess Hanshi, a consort of Emperor Uda, as well as Hōshi, a consort of Emperor Murakami. However, since ancient times, in the imperial court’s inner palace, there must have been many women who, while being favored, were bullied by other consorts in a fit of jealousy and, as a result, died young.
Regarding the characters in The Tale of Genji, rather than selecting a single model, it is better to think that the author Murasaki Shikibu exercised her creativity by referring to and taking hints from multiple anecdotes and personalities from the past, as well as drawing on her motives for writing, to newly create these characters.
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The three figures who open The Tale of Genji — the Kiritsubo Emperor, Kokiden no Nyōgo and Kiritsubo no Kōi — play an important role as the catalysts of the story’s events. Here I will consider possible historical models for these three characters.
The Kiritsubo Emperor is the father of the tale’s protagonist, Hikaru Genji, but there are several competing theories about his model. Emperors of the mid-Heian period such as Emperor Uda(867〜931), Emperor Daigo(885〜930), and Emperor Murakami (926〜967) have all been proposed. But it is difficult to identify a single, definitive model; it seems likely that anecdotes about several emperors have been combined.
I came to think that the Kiritsubo Emperor was modeled on Emperor Murakami while reading the seventeenth chapter of The Tale of Genji, “E-awase” (The Picture Contest). “E-awase” depicts a contest in which the daughter of the late Rokujō no Miyasudokoro, the Umetsubo no Nyōgo, and the daughter of Tō no Chūjō (in this chapter acting as Gonchūnagon), Kokiden no Nyōgo(not in the “Kiritsubo” chapter), compete by presenting paintings they own to be judged. Kokiden no Nyōgo has the powerful backing of her father, Tō no Chūjō, and actively collects the current fashionable paintings. On the other hand, Genji, who had been entrusted with guardianship of the late Rokujō no Miyasudokoro before her death, supports Ume-tsubo no Nyōgo. Seen another way, “E-awase” is a story of rivalry between Genji and Tō no Chūjō played out through a competition over paintings.
In the first round, the left side (Ume-tsubo) presents an image from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter( Taketori old man), while the right side (Kokiden) counters with a picture from Utsubo Monogatari (the episode of Toshikage). The left-side the picture was kept in Nijō-in that Genji’s mother Kiritsubo cherished; Genji and his wife Murasaki no Ue happily select a famous old tale as the motif. The right-side work, however, is produced by the competitive Tō no Chūjō, who summons the day’s best painter and calligrapher, chooses an unusual subject of interest, and equips the work with fine paper, elegant bar of scroll, decoration with cord, finishing it sumptuously. In the first round, Kokiden’s modern, superficially splendid right-side presentation appears dominant.
The left-side painting of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is by Kose-no-Aumi, with calligraphy by Ki-no-Tsurayuki; the right-side Utsubo Monogatari painting is by Chieda Tsunenori, with calligraphy by Ono no Michikaze. These painters and calligraphers were real historical figures, and in particular Chieda Tsunenori and Ono no Michikaze belong to the same era in which Hikaru Genji is set. That places the “Kiritsubo” chapter in the reign of Emperor Murakami. Murakami’s having many consorts and siring distinguished children by favored women resembles the setting of The Tale of Genji, likely making him a plausible model for the Kiritsubo Emperor.
Furthermore, it is written in fine detail that on the day of the picture contest held for imperial viewing, to which Emperor Reizei was invited, the emperor’s seat, namely his chair, was set up in the ladies‑in‑waiting’s quarters. With the imperial seat in between, the space was divided into the north and the south, and not only the emperor and his consorts, but also Fujitsubo, Hikaru Genji, Tō no Chūjō, high-ranking officials, court ladies, and children serving in the palace assembled as spectators. It is said that such a scene was modeled on the poetry contests (uta-awase, competitions of waka poems) that were held during the reign of Emperor Murakami. The author, Murasaki Shikibu, likely wrote the “E-awase” chapter on the basis of court events from the time of Emperor Murakami.
Murakami ruled without a regent (sekkan) and conducted government directly; likewise, in the Tale of Genji the left and right ministers appear, but no regent or chancellor is present. Further, Murakami’s empress, Fujiwara no Anshi(927〜964), is said to have been jealous and spirited: jealous of the emperor’s affection for a lady named Hōshi(〜967), once pierced a hole in the wall of a retiring chamber and hurled a broken piece of pottery through it. She even refused to permit her sister Tōshi to enter the palace. Thus Fujiwara no Anshi can be seen as a model for Kokiden no Nyōgo（the first chapter of the Tale of Genji）. In reality, however, Fujiwara no Anshi was intelligent and politically capable; Murakami often consulted her on state affairs. There is therefore a significant difference between the literary portrayal and historical fact.
Examples of jealous imperial consorts are not unique to Murakami’s reign. Powerful, jealous women like Kokiden must have existed in many eras. Kojiki, the ancient history for example, records that in the time of Emperor Nintoku (unknown the year of bone & died) the empress Ishi-no-Hime was hysterical and jealous; when the emperor summoned a woman from another province as a consort, Ishi-no-Hime would not allow her to remain at court, and some women reportedly fled back to their home provinces in fear of her. Under the ancient imperial system, then, every reign likely included powerful, jealous women in the harem.
Kiritsubo no Kōi, loved obsessively by the Kiritsubo Emperor and tormented by the jealousy and bullying of other consorts, finally dies young; she stands in contrast to the jealous women yet in another light both are victims of the very system of the inner court. Possible historical models for Kiritsubo no Kōi include Princess Hanshi (a consort of Emperor Uda, 833〜900) and Hōshi (a consort of Emperor Murakami,〜967). Especially the court lady Hanshi, a favored consort of Emperor Uda who died young, resembles the tragic fate of Kiritsubo no Kōi. But many tragic consorts surely existed from ancient times.
Moreover, women persecuted by jealous principal wives are not confined to palace stories: in the “Wakamurasaki” chapter, Wakamurasaki’s mother dies young after being tormented by the main wife of her husband, Hyōbukyō no Miya. In the “Yūgiri” chapter, Genji’s son Yūgiri is devoted to Ochiba no Miya, and his wife Kumoi no Kari grows jealous of the relationship; she takes away a letter that Yūgiri had received from Ochiba’s mother and hides it. Overcome by jealousy and despair, she then runs away from home to her father’s house with her child and refuses to be brought back by her husband Yūgiri. Under a class society that tolerated polygyny, jealous women would frequently appear.
Rather than being direct portraits of specific historical figures, the characters in The Tale of Genji seem to be creations in which Murasaki Shikibu drew on common anecdotes and character types from the past — using them as hints, motifs, or inspirations — and exercised her imagination to set up new, original personae.
