Hikaru Genji

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Hikaru Genji" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Hikaru Genji
The Tale of Genji character
A depiction of Genji's visit to Kitayama, where he first sees Murasaki no Ue and falls in love with her.
Created by	Murasaki Shikibu
Based on	Minamoto no Tōru (disputed)
In-universe information
Nickname	Genji
Gender	Male
Title	Shining Prince
Family	Minamoto
Spouses	Aoi no Ue, the Third Princess
Children	Emperor Reizei Yūgiri Princess Akashi
Relatives	Emperor Kiritsubo (father) Kiritsubo Consort (mother) Lady Fujitsubo (stepmother) Emperor Suzaku (half-brother)

Part of a series on the
Culture of Japan
History Era names Demographics Historical currency Economic history Education, Science, and Technology Healthcare Imperial history Foreign relations Historiography Military history Naval history Post-Japanese occupation history
People Japanese Ainu Ōbeikei Islanders Ryukuyuans Yamato Zainichi Koreans
Languages Japonic Japanese Ryukyuan Hachijō Ainu Writing system Japanese Sign Language
Traditions Clothing Etiquette Funerals Games Geisha Wasōbon Marriage Onsen / Sentō Tea ceremony Values
Mythology and folklore Deities Legendary creatures Urban legends Folktales
Cuisine Food history Ingredients Dishes
Festivals Obon Coming of Age Day Hinamatsuri Buddha's Birthday Tanabata Shichi-Go-San Cultural festivals Japanese New Year
Religion Buddhism Christianity New religions Shinto
Art Bonsai Gardens Ikebana Pottery and porcelain
Literature Light novel Manga Poetry
Music and performing arts J-pop Anison Kayōkyoku Noh
Media Radio Television Cinema Anime Media mix Mobile phone culture Video games Pornography
Sport Sumo Baseball Association football Martial arts Basketball Ice hockey American football Rugby union Olympics
Monuments World Heritage Sites Architecture Cultural Landscapes Cultural Properties National Treasures
Symbols Flag Coat of arms National anthem
Organisations Museums
Japan portal
v t e

History of literature by era
Ancient (corpora)
Bronze Age Ancient Egyptian Akkadian Elamite Hattic Hittite Hurro-Urartian Luwian Lydian Sumerian Ugarit Classical Ancient Greek Ancient Hebrew Ancient Prakrit Aramaic Classical Chinese Classical Latin Parthian Phrygian Old Persian Old Tamil Sanskrit Syriac
Early medieval
Arabic Armenian Bactrian Byzantine Greek Coptic Gandhari Prakrit Geʽez Georgian Japanese Kannada Maharashtri Prakrit Pre-Proto-Mongolic Old Church Slavonic Old English Old German Old Khmer Old Malay Old Turkic Norse Pali Sabaic Saka Sogdian Tibetan Tocharian Welsh
Medieval by century
10th 11th 12th 13th 14th
Early modern by century
15th 16th 17th
Modern by century
18th 19th
Contemporary by century
20th 21st
Literature portal
v t e

Hikaru Genji (光源氏) is the protagonist of Murasaki Shikibu's Heian-era Japanese novel The Tale of Genji."Hikaru" means "shining", deriving from his appearance, hence he is known as the "Shining Prince."^[1] He is portrayed as a superbly handsome man and a genius. Genji is the second son of a Japanese emperor, but he is relegated to civilian life for political reasons and lives as an imperial officer.

The first part of the story concentrates on his romantic life, and in the second, on his and others' internal agony. He appears from the first volume "Kiritsubo" to the 40th volume "Illusion".

"Genji" is the surname of a noble demoted from royalty. His given name is never referred to in the story, as is the case with most other characters. He is also referred to as Rokujō no In (六条院), sometimes abbreviated as In (院). He is often called Genji.

Hikaru Genji was attractive and talented, easily gaining the favor of those around him at a young age. Describing his superlative qualities, Murasaki Shikibu wrote: "but to recount all his virtues would, I fear, give rise to a suspicion that I distort the truth."^[2] His appearance tempted men and women alike, as he had smooth white skin, excellent fashion sense, which increased his fame and popularity.^[3]

The character of Hikaru Genji has had several adaptations in other media, from different iterations of The Tale of Genji. He is depicted as possessing unrivaled beauty and charisma in all subsequent media adaptations.^[1]

While fictitious, Genji is thought to be inspired by historical figures, including Minamoto no Tōru, who was a grandson of Emperor Saga, hence one of the Saga Genji clan.