The Use of Light for Making the Story : The Three Scenes of "Otoko-tou-ka" in Genji-monogatari

Abstract

The author of Genji-monogatari has been praised for her use of light in the story, especially for its aesthetical effect on scenes that demonstrates her power of description. But light is not merely an aesthetic device, for in each scene it closely corresponds to the character's point of view. In this article, with the three scenes of "Otoko-tou-ka," a ritual held in the night, I will show that the use of light has an important role in story-making, for it must have greatly helped the author to turn images into words, elaborate expressions, and make the plot