The Tale of Genji: 28 – Nowaki

After the relative calm of the previous visit to the Rokujō Estate, today’s instalment of our chapter-by-chapter journey through The Tale of Genji promises to be an altogether stormier affair, with the weather taking a turn for the worse. Still, it’s an ill wind that blows no good, and for one of our characters, the storm hitting the Capital brings with it clouds with a very silver lining. Let’s take a walk around the Estate, where some of the women are slightly more exposed than usual to the male gaze, even if (for once) the man doing the gazing isn’t Genji… ***** Chapter 28, ‘Nowaki’ (‘The Typhoon’ in Royall Tyler’s translation) is set in autumn, and with ‘her’ season in full swing, Empress Akikonomu returns to her Rokujō quarters to enjoy the autumnal flowers and trees in all their glory. Alas, that enjoyment doesn’t last long as the wind starts to pick up, presaging stormy weather ahead and bad times for the Empress’ flowers. As the winds howl around the buildings, Genji’s son,…