The Tale of Genji Museum is in

Uji, Kyoto is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa. ...

, Japan. It displays the world of the early 11th century Japanese classic novel '' The Tale of Genji'' with projected images, models, and exhibitions. The culture of the Imperial Court of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

, the aristocrats' costumes, and the furnishings of their residences are shown. The last ten chapters of ''The Tale of Genji'' are set in

Uji is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa. ...

; the hero is

Kaoru Genji Kaoru is a fictional character in '' The Tale of Genji'' (''Genji Monogatari''). He only appears as the lead for the novel's third act, called the 'Uji Jujo' (Uji Chapters). Kaoru has been called the first anti-hero in literature and is known f ...

(a son of

Hikaru Genji is the protagonist of Murasaki Shikibu's important Heian-era Japanese novel '' The Tale of Genji''. The story describes him as a superbly handsome man and a genius. Genji is the second son of a Japanese emperor, but he is relegated to civi ...

). The story of these chapters is reproduced with great realism using a scrim and life-size set. Visitors are introduced to the story line and main characters. A short film based on the "Uji chapters" and created solely for the museum is presented in the movie room. There is a library with a collection of books about ''The Tale of Genji''. The museum opened in 1998.

Gallery

External links

The Tale of Genji Museum, Uji City
Museums in Kyoto Prefecture Literary museums in Japan Museums established in 1998 1998 establishments in Japan The Tale of Genji Uji, Kyoto {{Japan-museum-stub