Paper short abstract:

The Tale of Sagoromo (ca. 1070) stars a forlorn courtier. Even on the throne, he is gloomy; even his name signals loneliness. Still, the tale's 1654 printing is cheerful; pictures stress the hero's retinue and wealth. The paper ties these tropes to a social change: respect for power, not descent.

Paper long abstract:

The Tale of Sagoromo (Sagoromo monogatari, ca. 1070) stars a forlorn courtier, the commoner-born son of a former prince. With uncles for emperors, his father now chancellor, and his mother a princess, Sagoromo enjoys high status; he is also acclaimed for his good looks and talents. Still, he is gloomy—even when he miraculously takes the throne near the tale's end. Sagoromo loves women he can't have; even his name (from a verse rejecting a marriage) signals loneliness. Still, the tale's 1654 printing is cheerful; its pictures, breaking with earlier illustrations of Sagoromo, stress the hero's large entourage and great wealth. The entourage spans male servants (drawn in greater numbers than described in the narrative) and groups of admiring female attendants, the latter working for women who reject him. Sagoromo's wealth shows in his conveyances: well-staffed boats and carriages, and an imperial palanquin.　

Like its crowds, the 1654 printing's luxe conveyances contradict most extant Sagoromo-themed art: illustrations for the so-called 'Sagoromo stories' (Sagoromo no sо̄shi), a cycle of late medieval and early modern works inspired by one of the original subplots. Like the tale, these stories sparked numerous variants, but the plots do not change much. The stories (prose and pictures) use crowds and conveyances to flatter and create sympathy for the hero. People associated with him ride in 'small' boats (kobune) or walk barefoot. Antagonists ride in 'big' 'Chinese' boats (о̄bune, Morokoshi no fune) or formal carriages—at least until they see their superiors walk. All of the crowds flank Sagoromo and his allies.　

The paper ties these new tropes to a social change: an early modern respect for raw power, which displaced a traditional emphasis on noble descent. While medieval and early modern warriors borrowed aristocratic symbols, they also made their dominance clear. Sagoromo's medieval readers, largely aristocrats, thus identified with the hero's solitude and grieved for their shared weakness over centuries of war. The early modern audience, greatly expanded by print, wanted something else: to celebrate peace and success, in this case tied to effort and (nominally) merit. The 1654 pictures gave them a Sagoromo that fit.