Chapter 10 - Sakaki

"Sakaki" is Chapter 10 of The Tale of Genji, in which the Emperor — Genji's father — dies, an event that shifts the political balance of the court against Genji and sets in motion his eventual exile. The sakaki is a sacred evergreen tree used in Shinto ritual, and the chapter's title is thought to refer to Lady Rokujō's visit to the Ise shrines (where sacred sakaki branches play a role) and the social and romantic complications of that departure. Ebina's illustration navigates the chapter's interweaving of grief, politics, and thwarted desire.