Ochikubo Monogatari

The Heian period monogatari Ochikubo Monogatari is fascinating to read when one considers the more famous Tale of Genji was likely composed only a few decades later. While both share some stylistic features, such as the common insertion of poetry into the text, and a setting among Heian-period aristocrats and their retainers, Ochikubo Monogatari is rooted in an archetypal Cinderella story. The Tale of Lady Ochikubo is also far shorter than its more famous successor, and character development is rather weak, making it somewhat more akin to Taketori Monogatari. Indeed, Ochikubo suffers nobly the abuses of her step-mother, her loyal servant intercedes and ensures her relationship with a lord develops, and she becomes a wealthy and important woman through her husband, a favorite of the Emperor. There are no psychologically complex characters, unless one counts Ochikubo's husband or her servant, Akogi. Oddly, the only translation of this tale is the dated Wilfrid Whitehouse one, but it manages to capture the time and feel of a Japan from over 1000 years ago. 

Despite its flaws, Ochikubo Monogatari is an important work in the development of the novel and prose fiction for Japanese literature. In a sense, it prepares one for the more extensive and complex Genji Monogatari with its numerous characters (mostly named based on their title) and its realism, as there is no magic or supernatural phenomena here. Unfortunately, once our Ochikubo marries someone of higher rank in the imperial court, much of the text is spent on her husband's various acts of revenge and humiliation to the step-mother and her children. The noble-hearted Ochikubo rejects this, and eventually her husband makes amends with her family (even helping them rise to higher positions in the court). While some of the anecdotes of vengeance are rather amusing and entertaining (particularly, and disturbingly, the use of a horse-faced man as a substitute husband for the half-sister of Ochikubo), the plot does not really go anywhere until the inevitable peace. 

Like most Cinderella narratives, the inevitable happy ending occurs and the horrid step-mother seems to have learned a valuable lesson. As it is likely rooted oral or folk traditions, the main moral imparted by the conclusion of the novel seems to be a call for step-mothers to cherish their step-daughters. Ochikubo herself, through her devotion to her abusive step-mother and neglectful father, is pure, devoted to filial piety, and will ensure good karma through her actions. Indeed, even before her inevitable escape from the clutches of her parents, she was a stoic and devoted worker, sewing fine robes and dresses for her step-mother. The overall tone of the tale is a conservative one, even if its critiques the treatment of step-daughters. It also seems to favor monogamy over polygamy or the various forms of infidelity practiced by so many Heian males. For these reasons, one wonders if the anonymous author of this monogatari was a woman upset by the various intrigues and affairs of men who cheat on their wives while allowing them to mistreat innocent children.