Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies volume 76, numbers 1 & 2: Engelska 2017

Founded in 1936 under the auspices of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies (HJAS) has without interruption pursued its mission to disseminate original, outstanding research and book reviews on the humanities in Asia, focusing at present on the areas of China, Japan, Korea, and Inner Asia. As scholarship has evolved, so has this Journal, but always while holding constant its commitment to serve authors and readers alike through the careful selection and editing of its contents. ABOUT THE COVER The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari 源氏物語) is a classic of world literature. Japanese readers have been fascinated by the novel since Murasaki Shikibu 紫式部, a lady-in-waiting at the imperial court, completed it during the first decade of the eleventh century. The peak of premodern interest in Genji came during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, when the tale dominated the cultural lives not only of court elites but also of warriors who aspired to cultural distinction. Genji was everywhere during that time—in readings, lectures, discussions, plays, calligraphic inscriptions, and paintings.