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Chapter One HEIAN FANTASIES: NATIONALISM AND NOSTALGIA IN THE READING OF GENJI 9 In 2000, The Tale of Genji was adapted for the stage of the Takarazuka Theater in a production titled “Myūjikaru roman Genji monogatari: Asaki yumemishi” (The Tale of Genji Lived in a Dream: A Musical Romance). This modern retelling of Genji provides several valuable signposts that will help guide our examination of nativism, a precursor to nationalism, and nostalgia in the transmission of Genji over the last thousand years. Since its establishment in 1913, the Takarazuka Revue has grown to become a major theatrical institution with a nationwide following.Takarazuka has a well-earned reputation for exacting standards in music and choreography. However, the most enduring element of Takarazuka’s success is its all-female cast. Takarazuka’s particular brand of entertainment makes it possible for actresses portraying leading men to depict a romanticized ideal of masculinity while failing to provoke the anxiety some female members of the audience may have toward men. This allows members of the audience who perceive men as the “other” or as sexual predators to participate more fully in the romantic fantasy on stage. Nearly a century after its founding, the revue boasts two large, successful theaters, in Takarazuka and Tokyo, a devoted following nationwide, and an abiding presence in advertising and popular culture in Japan. Women remain the most loyal fans of the theater’s signature style that combines passion, romance, and fantasy.1 In keeping with the theater’s emphasis on the fantastic, most productions are set in locations deemed exotic and are populated by characters who live tragic lives of legendary proportions. Elaborate musical dance numbers, stunning orchestration, and dazzling costumes are part of every Takarazuka show. Perennial favorites include The Rose of Versailles (Berusaiyu no bara) and Gone With the Wind (Kaze to tomo ni sarinu). The goal of Takarazuka is to offer entertainment that helps the audience momentarily leave behind the troubles of daily life. For this reason, the stage is rarely set to reflect life in contemporary Japan. However, The Tale of Genji is sufficiently remote in time and exotic in reputation to offer a glimpse of reality as different and compelling as revo- 10 APPRAISING GENJI lutionary Paris or a war-torn plantation in Georgia. The theater’s first Genji production, an operatic interpretation of the “Sakaki” chapter (chapter 10: “The Sacred Tree”), was staged in July 1919, the month after Japan participated in the signing of the Treaty of Versailles following the end of World War I. Since World War II Genji has been adapted for the Takarazuka stage four times. The two most recent adaptations followed in close succession during an extended period of economic malaise that plagued the Japanese economy for more than two decades. The coincidence of Takarazuka’s retelling of Genji with events of broad national significance speaks to the enduring connection Genji has with a sense of pride and pain that register on a national level. The emphasis Takarazuka places on fantasy will be particularly helpful in illuminating the function nostalgia has come to serve in linking Genji to idealized notions of nationalism. However, it should be noted that this association is not limited to Takarazuka. The first major adaptation of Genji on film was released in 1951 and directed by Yoshimura Kōsaburō.2 Heavily promoted by Daiei studios as a feature film commemorating the studio’s tenth anniversary, Yoshimura’s Genji met with enormous popular success and became the topgrossing film in Japan on record at the time.3 When this first Genji film was released, Japan had begun to recover from defeat in World War II, and the allied occupation was coming to an end. The success of Yoshimura’s Genji came in response not only to the film’s cinematic merits but also its ability to evoke a romanticized sense of nostalgia for the nation’s imperial household in a less-troubled time. The construction of a scene in Yoshimura’s blockbuster corresponding to events in the eighth chapter of the original tale provides a particularly compelling example of how Genji has been used to address the concerns of contemporary culture.The eighth chapter, titled “Hana no En” (Under the Cherry Blossoms), has long played a prominent role in the history of Genji reception. “Hana no En” depicts the tale’s protagonist, Genji, in a way that defines many of the emotional and cultural complexities underlying his character. The opening...

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