Genji Fantasy: The Cat Fell in Love With Hikaru Genji

Synopsis

The Tale of Genji Museum in Uji City, Kyoto is set to screen a short film that blends history with fantasy. The narrative follows Hana, a contemporary high school girl who is turned into a cat and sent back in time. She journeys 1,000 years into the past to the Heian Era as depicted in The Tale Of Genji, widely considered the most renowned novel in Japanese literature. Led by the novel's protagonist Hikaru Genji, Hana gains direct insight into the feelings that author Murasaki Shikibu captured in her work. The short includes scenes drawn from The Diary of Lady Murasaki and other historical records, such as the real noble Fujiwara no Michinaga swiping early drafts of The Tale Of Genji because he was too impatient to wait for the chapters Murasaki was writing.