Niou Miya (匂宮)
Niou Miya was one of the chapter titles of "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji) which has fifty four chapters. It was the forty-second chapter.
The title was derived from the body of text saying 'People always call them Niou (perfumed) Hyobukyo (head of the Ministry of War) and Kaoru (sweet-smelling) Chujo (Middle Captain).'
Niou Miya' was an abbreviation for the original title, 'Niou Hyobukyo.'
It was a sequel of Hikaru Genji's descendants and the collateral.
It was an alias of the fictional character in "Genji Monogatari."
He was also called 'Niou Hyobukyo no miya.'
He was one of the central characters in the third part, Uji jujo (The Ten Quires of Uji).
Brief Summary of the Chapter
It describes 8 years after 'Maboroshi (The Wizard),' a story of Kaoru's life between the ages of fourteen and twenty.
No one showed signs of Hikaru Genji after his death. Only Kinjo no Mikado's son, Sannomiya (the third Prince) (Niou Miya) and Onna Sannomiya (the Third Princess) 's son (called Kaoru, in fact, Kashiwagi (The Oak Tree) 's son) had a reputation for being the greatest nobleman of the day.
Niou Miya celebrated the attainment of his manhood, becoming Hyobukyo (Minister of Hyobusho Ministry of Military), and lived in Nijoin, the residence of Murasaki no ue. Yugiri (Evening Mist) (Genji Monogatari) wanted Niou Miya to marry his daughter, but Niou Miya was not interested in that because he preferred free love. Yugiri invited Ochiba no Miya to the Summer-Residence in Rokujo-in Palace and dutifully visited her and Kumoi no Kari at Sanjo-dono Palace fifteen days each per month on day-by-day rotating basis. Roku no Kimi, a daughter between Yugiri and To no Naishinosuke, was said the most beautiful woman of his daughters, so he tried to leave her with Ochiba no Miya in order to bring her up to an well-educated woman.
Most of the young lady Akashi's children live in the Rokujo-in Palace now. Hanachirusato (Falling Flowers), who had lived in the Summer-Residence, moved to East Pavilion of Nijoin, while Onna Sannomiya moved to Sanjo no miya.
On the other hand, Kaoru, who was pampered by Emperor Reizei and Empress Akikonomu, was dramatically promoted to a higher official rank after cerebrating his coming of age. However, Kaoru, who had a vague suspicion about his birth, considered his life somewhat dull, and led his life thinking of becoming a priest.
Strangely, Kaoru smelled sweet by nature, which was said the same smell as Buddha's.
To compete, Niou Miya devoted himself to perfume, thus people called them 'Perfumed Hyobukyo and sweet-smelling Chujo.'
Public attention was focused on these two men and many influential families wanted them to marry their daughters. However, Niou Miya liked Emperor Reizei's daughter, Onna Ichi no Miya, while Kaoru enhanced his pessimistic view of life, and did not want to have any regretful love affairs.
On New Year's day, when Kaoru was twenty, Yugiri held Kaeriaruji (a banquet held after Nori-yumi (betting on a shooting)) at Rokujo-in. Not only Niou Miya, but also Kaoru joined the banquet, and it got spectacular.
Personality of Niou Miya
He was the third prince of Kinjo no Mikado, and his mother was young lady Akashi, the daughter of Hikaru Genji. He was a sotomago (grandchild from a daughter married into another family) of the Minamoto clan. Among the 54 chapters, he appears from the chapter of 'Wakana' (new herbs) to 'Kagero' (The Mayfly).
When he was young, he was brought up with his older sister, Onna Ichi no Miya, by Murasaki no ue ('Wakana'). Murasaki no ue loved especially him as if he were her own son, and after her death, he lived in Nijoin which she owned. He always fostered rivalry with Kaoru, who was like a younger brother to him and grew up together in Rokujo-in. He was called 'Niou Miya,' because he burnt incense to infuse the scent into his cloth, competing with Kaoru, who smelled sweet. ('Niou Miya').
He was the most handsome son among the children of Kinjo no Mikado, so many parents asked him to marry their daughters. However, Niou Miya, who was not interested in a political marriage but free love, was reluctant to have a legal wife. One day, Niou Miya heard from Kaoru about daughters of Uji Hachi no Miya (the Eighth Prince), and got married to Naka no Kimi under Kaoru's guidance. Niou Miya took in her to Nijoin ('Agemaki' (Trefoil Knots) and 'Sawarabi' (Bracken Shoots)). Later, however, he took Yugiri's daughter, Roku no Kimi, as Kita no kata (the woman living in the north of the house; wife), and then his interest shifted to the new woman, neglecting Naka no Kimi ('Yadorigi' (The Ivy)). Also, he had a relationship with Ukifune (A Drifting Boat), Naka no Kimi's younger sister by a different mother, pretending to be Kaoru, although he knew that she was Kaoru's lover, and it caused her to commit suicide by throwing herself into the water after she agonized. ('Ukifune').