Murasaki Shikibu (978~1021 AD)紫 式部, “The Tale of Genji 源氏物語(translation by Kencho Suematsu)”, 1008 AD.
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SciFi has among its earliest tales: 1. “Tale of the Bamboo Cutter” ; and, 2. “Urashima Taro” from Japanese literature. The two are “Jules Verne” like “travelogues” of a trip from the moon (Tale of the Bamboo Cutter); and a journey underneath the oceans (Urashima Taro). Here I present: Murasaki Shikibu (978~1021 AD) 紫 式部, “The Tale of Genji 源氏物語 (translation by Kencho Suematsu)”, 1008 AD was the first novel in the World History. The science in this SciFi is “genealogy”; and, thus “The Tale of Genji” is soft, science fiction. “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter” is hard, SciFi (astronomy) as its a travelogue of a trip to the moon. “Urashima Taro” is hard, SciFi (oceanography) as it is a journey underneath the oceans.
The writing of “reality & realism” began with this novel; although, the “spirit & spirituality” of Buddhism are at the core of the novel.
“Siddhartha Gautama Shakya”, the founder of the world religion of Buddhism has three names. “Shakya” is name of the “CLAN”, “Gautama” is the name “FAMILY”, & “Siddhartha” is the of the “PERSON”. On a “genogram” (family tree), the PERSON of primary focus is referred to as the “INDEX PERSON”.
“The Tale of the Genji (源氏物語)”, 1008 AD has the science of “genealogy” as the basis of the novel. ”Hikaru Genji” (光源氏) is the protagonist of the novel and is a prince in Japan the “family tree” of the genealogy, “Hikaru Genji” is the “index person” (schematic diagram shown above).
The principal characters in the novel are: 0. Prince “Hikaru Genji” (PROTAGONIST), 1. Emperor, 2. Marusaki Shikibu, 3. Kiritsubo, 4. Aoi, 5. Lady Akoshi, 6. Ryozen, 7.Yugiri, 8. Fujitsubo, 9. Kokide, 10. Suzaku. This book has about four hundred (400) characters in the fifty-two (52) chapters. The novel’s characters are members of Genji’s “Fujiwara (藤原氏) CLAN“.
