In Genji-monogatari, Kokiden-no-nyougo is described as a bad empress. It is so, however, not because of some historical facts but rather for some political reasons. The governmental system of the Heian era, built on Confucianism, was not only politically centralized but also male-centralized. The system was consequently the one which controlled or repressed such active and influential women as Kokiden-no-nyougo. Although she is inevitably contained in the system, she nevertheless resists the male-dominated society as bravely as the Chinese empress Ryoko. In this essay, I will focus on the female character to revise the previous readings of Genji-monogatari centered on the male hero Hikaru-Genji.
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