Asian Studies | Queer Theory How might queer theory transform our interpretations of medieval Japanese liter- a proximate remove ature and how might this literature reorient the assumptions, priorities, and crit- Jackson ical practices of queer theory? Through a close reading of The Tale of Genji, an eleventh-century text that depicts the lifestyles of aristocrats during the Heian pe- Queering Intimacy and Loss in The Tale of Genji riod, A Proximate Remove explores this question by mapping the destabilizing aes- thetic, affective, and phenomenological dimensions of experiencing intimacy and remove proximate a loss. The spatiotemporal fissures Reginald Jackson calls “proximate removes” sus- pend belief in prevailing structures. Beyond issues of sexuality, Genji queers in its reluctance to romanticize or reproduce a flawed social order. An understanding of this hesitation enhances how we engage with premodern texts and how we ques- tion contemporary disciplinary stances. “A brave and groundbreaking work. Jackson’s queer reading of The Tale of Genji— where ‘queer’ does not index a particular sexual identity or mode of erotic ex- change but, rather, provides a provocative critical lens—throws into sharp relief practices of Heian sexual politics. Intimately researched and engagingly written.” Charlotte Eubanks, author of Miracles of Book and Body: Buddhist Textual Culture and Medieval Japan “A Proximate Remove offers a bold and provocative reading of the eleventh-century in and Loss Intimacy Queering classic The Tale of Genji. It begins the much-needed task of exposing the ideologi- cal limitations that define the parameters of existing premodern Japanese studies.” Atsuko Ueda, author of Language, Nation, Race: Linguistic Reform in Meiji Japan (1868–1912) Reginald Jackson is Associate Professor of Premodern Japanese Literature and Performance at the University of Michigan. He is the author of Textures of Mourning: Calligraphy, Mortality, and the Tale of Genji Scrolls. A Joan Palevsky Book in Classical Literature The Tale of Genji The Tale New Interventions in Japanese Studies, 2 of Genji The Tale A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. University of California Press www.ucpress.edu Cover design: Claudia Smelser. Cover illustration: Genji monogatari emaki, Kashiwagi 2 Original Painting. The Tokugawa Art Museum © The Tokugawa Art Museum Image Archives/DNPartcom. Reginald Jackson Luminos is the Open Access monograph publishing program from UC Press. Luminos provides a framework for preserving and reinvigorating monograph publishing for the future and increases the reach and visibility of important scholarly work. Titles published in the UC Press Luminos model are published with the same high standards for selection, peer review, production, and marketing as those in our traditional program. www.luminosoa.org The publisher and the University of California Press Foundation gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Joan Palevsky Imprint in Classical Literature. NEW INTERVENTIONS IN JAPANESE STUDIES General Editor Sabine Frühstück, University of California, Santa Barbara Editorial Board Daniel Botsman, Yale University Michael K. Bourdaghs, University of Chicago David L. Howell, Harvard University Susan Blakeley Klein, University of California, Irvine Fabio Rambelli, University of California, Santa Barbara Jennifer Robertson, University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Julia Adeney Thomas, University of Notre Dame Gennifer Weisenfeld, Duke University 1. Language, Nation, Race: Linguistic Reform in Meiji Japan (1868–1912), by Atsuko Ueda 2. A Proximate Remove: Queering Intimacy and Loss in the Tale of Genji, by Reginald Jackson A Proximate Remove A Proximate Remove Queering Intimacy and Loss in The Tale of Genji Reginald Jackson UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press Oakland, California © 2021 by Reginald Jackson This work is licensed under a Creative Commons [CC-BY-NC-ND] license. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses. Suggested citation: Jackson, R. A Proximate Remove: Queering Intimacy and Loss in The Tale of Genji. Oakland: University of California Press, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.106 Names: Jackson, R., author. Title: A proximate remove : queering intimacy and loss in The tale of Genji / Reginald Jackson. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020053167 (print) | LCCN 2020053168 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520382541 (paperback) | ISBN 9780520382558 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Murasaki Shikibu, 978?– Genji monogatari—Criticism and interpretation. Classification: LCC PL788.4.G43 J33 2021 (print) | LCC PL788.4.G43 (ebook) | DDC 895.63/14—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020053167 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020053168 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Hideki Okada and his partner, Azusa Nishimoto. Theirs is a lasting, barely fathomed love. Contents Acknowledgments ix Preface. Benefits of the Doubt: Questioning Discipline and the Risks of Queer Reading xiii Introduction 1 1. Translation Fantasies and False Flags: Desiring and Misreading Queerness in Premodern Japan 31 2. Chivalry in Shambles: Fabricating Manhood amid Architectural Disrepair 64 3. Going through the Motions: Half-Hearted Courtship and the Topology of Queer Shame 87 4. Queer Affections in Exile: Textual Mediation and Exposure at Suma Shore 120 5. From Harsh Stare to Reverberant Caress: Queer Timbres of Mourning in “The Flute” 149 Conclusion. Learning from Loss 173 Afterword. Teaching Removal 183 Notes 185 Bibliography 203 Index 215 Acknowledgments Like intimacy and loss, gratitude can feel like a queer thing: visceral, yet difficult to ever grasp or calculate fully. In writing this book, I benefited from many people’s contributions. I’ll always be eternally grateful to Jonathan Beçanson, my first Japa- nese teacher, whose remarkable sensitivity, kindness, and exacting musicianship continue to inspire me. Patrick Caddeau got me reading Tanizaki in college, and Tony Chambers stoked that curiosity, so blame them for the weirdest bits of the book. Hideki Okada fostered the habit of imagining otherwise, absent knee-jerk judgments or pretense. Tom Hare continues to engage my ideas with warmth and an open mind. Jason Weidemann’s proposal made me retool the book I thought I was writing. Lauren Berlant’s advice helped me realize the book’s limitations and potentials. Michael Bourdaghs retains his impeccable taste in music, and he remains the wisest, most constructive and generous colleague I’ve known. I can’t thank him enough. Sabine Frühstück has been a welcoming steward in leading the New Interventions in Japanese Studies imprint. At University of California Press, I’ve had the pleasure to work with Reed Malcolm, Archna Patel, Enrique Ochoa-Kaup, Genevieve Thurston, and Cindy Fulton, who have supervised a smooth publishing process. Two anonymous readers for the press and Japanese Language and Litera- ture offered vital commentary. Judi Gibbs indexed the book. Any remaining errors are mine. I am also grateful to Anne Walthall, whose generosity subsidized the book’s open-access version, and to the Tokugawa Museum, for lending images. I thank participants of 2015’s Rethinking Premodern Japan: Territory, Embodi- ment, Exposure workshop at the University of Chicago—Charlotte Eubanks and Paul Atkins, especially—for weighing in. Karen Thornber kindly invited me to ix x Acknowledgments share work at Harvard’s Reischauer Institute, where she and other smart folks like David Howell, Terry Kawashima, Melissa McCormick, and Tomiko Yoda offered valuable commentary at a formative stage. Abé Markus Nornes’s close reading is always appreciated, and Christi Merrill’s keen comments energized the introduction. Annalisa Zox-Weaver did an excellent job editing an earlier version of this manuscript, and I owe her a belated expression of gratitude. Helen Find- ley provided outstanding research support. Enormous thanks go to Edith Sarra and Charo D’Etcheverry, whose extraordinarily learned and conscientious com- ments made for a better book. Ellen Tilton-Cantrell’s thoughtful editorial work was transformative. Rachel Willis’s attentive annotations helped me finish strong. Grace Ting’s sparkling critiques refined and emboldened the prose. She’s a fabulous coconspirator. Similar sentiments hold for Frieda Ekotto, Raya Naamneh, Hakem Al-Rustom, and Rana Barakat. Arvind-Pal Mandair is a brilliant thinker whose camaraderie has meant tons. Tiffany Ng is a stellar friend whose hustle and humanity continually floor me. Not for nothing, Denise Galarza-Sepúlveda’s literary sensibility and cariño set a high bar two decades running. The incredible Victor Mendoza and Pardip Bolina let Ana and Simone sing “Happy Birthday” for my first book, Textures of Mourning; the postpandemic cake train will not skip their stop. Marvelous interlocutor Ava Purkiss shall conduct said train. Carla “Sunshine” Nappi continues to rock the house, along with Emily Greene, Dan Shulman, and Emilie Chesnutt Boone. The Berger-Richman family needs more aliens in their Korean cinema. Abrazos always to the Aimee and Juan Rodriguez household. Ron Brunette, Allen Finkel, and Alana; Patricio Herbst, Vilma Mesa, Bruno, and Ana Sofia; and Sarah Arehart, Ivy, and Steve Cavaness are neighbors akin to relatives