Uji, Kyoto
The last 10 chapters of The Genji are set in and around what was then the wild and remote area of Uji.
View upriver from the Uji Bridge in April. The most well-known image from The Genji is of Ukifune and Niou crossing this river on a winter's night.
Uji has a number of sites associated with The Tale of Genji. One of them is the lovely Mimuroto-ji temple.
Upstream.
As recounted in The Tale of the Heike, in the year 1181 Prince Mochihito was persuaded to act as the figurehead for a rebellion against the Taira clan. At the battle of Uji Bridge, the small Genji force was defeated and the prince killed.
The current Uji Bridge is made of concrete and wood but based on original designs.
The Genji commanders, Yorimasa and Nakatsuna, committed suicide in the Byodo-in fishing pavillion.
Byodo-in, the only surviving example of Heian temple architecture, was originally Fujiwara Michinaga's villa. It was converted into a temple by his son in 1052.
The belfry at Mimuroto-ji temple is associated with Ukifune in The Tale of Genji.
View upriver from the Uji Bridge in autumn.
