To this day The Tale of Genji, a story written as a picture scroll in Japan's Heian period (794-1185), is regarded as the most important work in ancient Japanese literature.

A shining baby boy is born to the emperor and Kiritsubo. The boy loses his mother at a very young age, but the emperor still shows a strong liking for him, and he grows into a handsome young man. The first part of the story (volumes 1 to 10) follows the tales of the glorious youth Hikaru Genji's love. It is also about the women in his life who strive to make their love towards Genji significantly different from others. The second half of the story called the "Uji Jujo" episodes (volumes 11 to 13) takes place after Genji's death, focusing on the youth of two imperial princes related to Genji.