Aoi no Ue

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Aoi no Ue is a fictional character in The Tale of Genji. She is the daughter of the Minister of the Left and Genji's first formal wife. She marries Genji when she is sixteen and he is twelve, a political arrangement rather than a love match. Aoi is proud and distant, aware of the age gap, and deeply hurt by Genji’s many affairs.

In year nine of their marriage, Aoi becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, Yūgiri. For a while Genji’s attention seems to return, but Aoi remains wary of his infidelity.

A major part of her story is the episode of spirit possession (mono no ke). Rokujō no Miyasudokoro, Genji’s former lover and a jealous noblewoman, sends a vengeful spirit to attack Aoi. An exorcism led by Priestess Teruhi reveals the phantom, and Rokujō’s spirit enters Aoi’s body. The possession is deadly, and Aoi dies at the end of the Aoi chapter.

The tale presents Rokujō’s jealousy as the motive for the haunting, with many readings viewing Aoi as the victim and Rokujō as the aggressor. Aoi no Ue has also been told as a Noh play, and Yukio Mishima wrote a modern version called The Lady Aoi.

The Tale of Genji was written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century and follows Hikaru Genji, a brilliant prince who has relationships with many women.