The Former Governor Character Analysis in The Tale of Genji

The former governor is the Akashi Lady's father. He desperately wants his daughter to marry someone important in the city and instructs her to throw herself into the sea if he can't make this happen for her. He invites Genji to come stay with him in Akashi after a supernaturally strong storm ravages the coast and the city. During the storm, the former governor sets a boat out to find Genji, as someone came to him in a dream and told him to do so. The former governor does whatever he can to make Genji comfortable and lives a life that's only slightly less grand than Genji's life at court had been. Though he pushes the Akashi Lady towards Genji and is successful in getting them to start a relationship, he's somewhat unsure what to do after the relationship begins. He appears to believe Genji when Genji promises to bring the Akashi Lady and the baby to court.

The Former Governor Quotes in The Tale of Genji

The The Tale of Genji quotes below are all either spoken by The Former Governor or refer to The Former Governor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).

He thought that he could hardly be expected to visit her. She had her own ideas. She knew that rustic maidens should come running at a word from a city gentleman who happened to be briefly in the vicinity. No, she did not belong to his world, and she would only be inviting grief if she pretended that she did.

Related Characters: Genji, Murasaki, Akashi Lady, Lady of the Evening Faces, The Former Governor

Page Number and Citation: 299

Explanation and Analysis: