nydus/The Tale of GenjiPublic

Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting to Empress Akiko in the early eleventh century, writes this multi-volume work during her time at court. The narrative is established as a classic of Japanese literature by 1022 and features a structure comprising fifty-four chapters.

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Table of Contents

APPENDIX II The Vestal Virgins of Ise and Kamo.

Probably the Ise Virgin was a very ancient institution which later proved useful for political ends. The Virgin of Kamo, who does not appear on the scene till the ninth century, was presumably instituted simply as a means of spreading Court influence.

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