Hyoshaku, "Kiritsubo" introduction part 1

Before getting into the actual chapter, Hagiwara includes a bunch of introductory material.  I'll split this into two posts -- the first one covering the quotations from older commentaries and Hagiwara's 釈, the second with Hagiwara's 評.

I had already done some translations of the early part of this chapter, but I'm sure there are problems with them.

旧注　この巻の名は、すなはちこの巻に「御つぼねは桐壺なり」といへる詞をもちて名付けたるなり。一名は壺前栽といふ。これも「おまへのつぼせんざいのさかりなるを」とある詞によりてなり云々

Old Commentaries -- The title of the chapter is taken from the words “Her residence was the Kiritsubo.” Another name is “Tsubosenzai.” This is also taken from words: “The garden plants out front were growing lushly."

The "old commentary" section is taken from the Kogetsusho.  The alternate name for the chapter is found only in the Okuiri of Fujiwara no Teika; as far as I know there is no evidence outside of that work.  The older commentaries had a lot of strange theories about the chapter titles; relating them to Chinese poetry or Confucian philosophy -- Hagiwara characteristically rejects all of that but because he implicitly takes the view that the entire story is the work of the single author Murasaki Shikibu, he considers the chapter titles worthy of some consideration.

新　こを巻の名とせしはこの巻に光源氏の君の母御息所の局を桐壺なりといひ、且つ専らこの御息所のことをいふ巻なればなり。或抄に壺前栽とも名づけしといふは、「おまへの壺前栽」てふ詞のあればなり。されど、桐壺こそことにわたりて聞ゆれ。

Shinshaku: The origin of the name of this chapter is the fact that the Shining Genji's mother, the Haven, lived in the Kiritsubo. This is because most of this chapter recounts events related to this Haven. A certain commentary says that the name is “Tubosenzai,” taken from the words “The garden plants out front.” However, “Kiritsubo” is the more common name.

すべてこの物語は紫式部の在りし御時の様を書きたるものなり。されど、前代の帝の御名をあげて、その外の人々の様をも、今の一人にあたらぬやうに書きなしたるは、罪を逃れんとて也。さて、このほどは帝の御勢ひやや衰へゆかせ給ひ、臣下の権のみ強れるを愁へて、密かに帝の御勢ひつよりまさんずる心構へを書きたりと見ゆ。そのよしは次々にいふべし。

The entire story was written by Murasaki Shikibu based on a previous age. However, the reason she gave the names of previous Emperors and wrote the rest of it so that they could not be linked to a specific person was to avoid censure. Now, at this time it was lamented that the power of the Emperor had declined somewhat and that of the other nobles had increased, and she wrote this to secretly to show a time when the Emperor had more power. I will say more of this later.

I'm a little surprised Hagiwara includes this part; it's not very relevant to "Kiritsubo" itself and he's usually a little wary of theories of authorial intent like this one. I think the "names of previous Emperors" means that the Genji mentions Emperors Uda and Daigo (Engi) by name, but I'm not entirely sure. In any case this passage does not appear in the Shinshaku printed in the current Kamo no Mabuchi Zenshu; Hagiwara was working from a different text, I suppose.

玉　源氏の君生まれ給へるより十二歳元服の事まで見えたり。かくて巻の末に「おとなになり給ひて後は」云々とあるを、花鳥余情に、「この詞に十三歳、十四歳、十五歳三ヵ年のことをばこめて、帚木の巻は十六歳なり」とあり。今思ふにしからず。「おとなになり給ふ」とは元服して、大人の形になり給へるよしなり。これに三年こもれりとはいふべからず。なほ、下の文に「ただいまは幼き御ほどに罪なくおぼしなして」云々とあるにてしるべし。されば、この巻は十二歳までにて、帚木へ年立は続かざるなり。伊勢物語に「昔、男うひかうふりして」と書き出だせるも業平（なりひら）朝臣の成人のはじめをまづいひおきて、さて奈良へ下られたるは、その後いつにても有るべきがごとく、この物語もこの巻にまづ元服までを書きおきて、さて年立は帚木より続けたるなり。桐壺巻は序文までもいりたらずといへる説いはれたることなり。

Tama no Ogushi : This chapter contains events from Genji's birth to his twelfth year. At the end of the chapter it says “he became an adult” – the Kacho yosei says that these words cover three years, from his thirteenth to his fifteenth year, and that at the beginning of the “Hahakigi” chapter, he is 16. My belief is that this is wrong – “he became an adult” means that he had his donning of the trousers and thus appeared as an adult.  It should not be read as covering three years. This is clear from later words that say “however, in his youthful heart [Genji] found [Fujitsubo] flawless.” Now, this chapter covers up to Genji's twelfth year, and the chronology does not connect to the “Hahakigi” chapter.  In the Ise monogatari it says “Long ago there was a man who had his coming of age” – this also shows Narihira when he first becomes an adult, and then his journey to Nara is some time after that.   In the same way, in this tale, the first chapter recounts up to Genji's donning of the trousers, and then the chronology begins from “Hahakigi.” The theory has also been floated that the Kiritsubo chapter is just a prologue.

I'm a little uncertain of the meaning of that last line -- the reference is to the Sairyusho, which says at the beginning of the "Hahakigi" chapter that "Kiritsubo" is just a prologue, but the meaning of that is not entirely clear.>

釈　この桐の一巻は、源氏の君の本伝なり。されば、初に御父帝の御母更衣を寵し給ふことより、源氏の君の生まれ給へることを挙げ、さて末に御元服ありて、源の氏を賜ひて、御臣（みやつこ）の列（つら）にいり給へること、またその時の左大臣殿の婿になりて、その里亭に住み給ふよしまでを挙げたるなり。故（かれ）帚木より次下なる巻々とは、年立も続かず、ただこの巻のみもてはなれたるなれば、さるこころして読むべし。

This first chapter, “Kiritsubo,” is the origin story of Genji. So first, the love between his father the Emperor and his mother the Intimate is recounted, and after that Genji's birth, then his donning of the trousers, then the granting of the surname Genji making him a commoner, and then his becoming the son-in-law of the Minister of the Left, and finally showing where he lives [after his marriage]. The chronology does not connect to “Hahakigi” and the later chapters. This chapter should be read as standing alone apart from the others.

Hagiwara's explanation is simpler and more direct than the others -- he wanted his commentary to be readable by "women and children" (a frequent idiom that apparently just meant "beginners") but I don't know if quoting all the previous material is much help. Perhaps he was torn between writing an accessible edition but also continuing the scholarly tradition of commentary.