A Tale of Flowering Fortunes (Eiga monogatari)
Annals of Japanese Aristrocratic Life in the Heian Period
Tr. William H. and Helen Craig McCullough
Stanford University Press, 1980; 2 Volumes
ISBN: 0-8047-1039-2

This is a monumental work by two of the most celebrated specialists on Japan. The two volumes
are not simply a translation, but a veritable mine of information about the Heian period in Japan.
Along with copious footnotes, the McCulloughs provide extensive supplemental notes at the end
of each volume, and these are a book in themselves.

Eiga monogatari is the story of the Fujiwara clan at the peak of its power under Michinaga
(966-1028), the greatest Regent of all. The translation includes the first 30 chapters, which are
usually considered the essence of the work and excludes the "dry, immitative chronicle" that
follows it. The story covers the years 887-1028.

The authorship of this work is uncertain, but it is almost beyond doubt that the main author was
a woman, who wrote the first 30 chapters sometime between 1030 and 1045. Traditionally, the
authorship is ascribed to the poet Akazome Emon, who lived between 976 and 1041.

It would be an understatement to say that the notes are scrupulous, sometimes even excessively
so. By the middle of the book, I found myself occasionally glancing to the footnotes, just to
verify that they refer to yet another mistake (chronological or factual) in the narrative. Since
this does interrupt the flow, I found that it was best to just read ahead, letting the author
construct a historically inaccurate but nevertheless fascinating reality. (There is an engaging
account of the historicity of the tale in the Introduction.)

The first several chapters are quite dry and consist mostly of repetitive chronicles of courtly
events. The story picks up somewhere in the middle of Chapter 4 ("Unfinished Dreams") when the
pestilence of 995 kills off just about every important member of the aristocracy, clearing the
way for Michinaga's rise to power.

The author's bias toward Michinaga is obvious: he is depicted as a man of faultless taste, impeccable
manners, excellent breeding, superior brain, etc. etc. On the other hand, the most interesting
passages in the first volume deal with the miserable fate of his main rival (at one point), the
son of his brother Michitaka, Korechika (973-1010). The story of Korechika and his abler brother
Takaie is full of pathos. After rising briefly to dizzying heights, Korechika finds himself ousted
by Michinaga and, following a stupid brawl with emperor Kazan over a woman, the two brothers are
banished. Their fortunes steadily decline, they lose their mother, their sister Teishi, and
eventually Korechika dies completely subdued by his fate. His story is rivetting.

Chapter 8 ("First Flower") is an extremely detailed account of the first glorious event: the
birth of the boy prince Atsuhira to Emperor Ichijo and Empress Shôshi (Michinaga's daughter).
The account "borrows" liberally from the superior version by Murasaki Shikibu, which has come
to us in her diary. (It is also in this chapter that Korechika dies.) Volume One ends with Chapter
11 ("The Budding Flower") which depicts the birth of Teishi, the daughter to Emperor Sanjô and
Empress Kenshi (another daughter by Rinshi).