Wakamurasaki (若紫)
Wakamurasaki is the title of one of 54 quires of Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji).
Fifth quire
Its description covers the period from the time when Hikaru Genji caught a glimpse of little Murasaki no Ue until the time she was welcomed to the Nijoin. Sometimes Murasaki no Ue in her girlhood is called "Wakamurasaki," but it is not mentioned in the tale this way.
In the "Murasaki Shikibu Nikki" (Murasaki Shikibu Diary), "Wakamurasaki" refers to Murasaki Shikibu. The diary states that 'When FUJIWARA no Kinto got drunk, he asked, 'Is there my Wakamurasaki?,' around the place where Murasaki Shikibu was supposed to lived.
Plot summary
Story from March to October (winter) when Hikaru Genji was eighteen years old
Genji, who had been suffering from ague (malaria) and was visiting Kitayama for incantation, caught a glimpse of a girl (later known as Murasaki no Ue, around 10 years old) who had an appearance similar to Fujitsubo (23 years old), whom Genji yearned for in secret, when he happened to pass by the house. According to a priest, who was a grand-uncle of the girl, she was a daughter of Hyobukyo no Miya, an elder brother of Fujitsubo, and her mother passed away because she worried about pressure from the legitimate wife of her husband. Then the girl was brought up by her grandmother, who was a nun (around 40 years old), and more than 10 years have passed. Genji offered to become her guardian, but the nun did not take it seriously because the girl was too young to marry.
In April, when Fujitsubo (23 years old) took a short leave because of her illness, Genji met her again through the introduction of O no Myobu, a maid of Fujitsubo. After that, Fujitsubo continued refusing to receive Genji's letters, but Fujitsubo was already pregnant with Genji's child.
Meanwhile, Kitayama no Amagimi （a nun in Kitayama) returned to the capital after that, taking the girl with her. In late autumn, Genji called on the nun to inquire after her health, but she passed away before long. Ahead of her father, Hyobukyo no Miya, Genji took the girl, who had lost her relatives to depend on, to his residence, Nijoin. Then he considered bringing her up to an ideal lady instead of Fujitsubo, whom he loved.