Lady Fujitsubo

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Lady Fujitsubo is a fictional character in Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari). Lady Fujitsubo is Genji's stepmother (who closely resembles his own deceased mother, Empress Kiritsubo), with whom Genji later has an affair. She becomes pregnant with a son by Genji. Once she realizes this she no longer sees Genji except for formal visits. Later in his life Genji reflects that because he cuckolded his father with Fujitsubo, when he himself is cuckolded, he realizes that perhaps karma has caught up with him for his actions.

In The Tale of Genji Chapter 5 it is explained that Fujitsubo has become an idealized form of a woman for Genji. "There was no one else quite like her". In that fact was his undoing: he would be less a prey to longing if he could find in her even a trace of the ordinary. Genji is not pleased with any other woman except when she resembles Fujitsubo. This haunting notion of perfection leads Genji to seek out something normal about Fujitsubo, simply so he can be free of his unrealistic standards for other women.

Fujitsubo becomes a nun shortly after the death of the Emperor and becomes very devoted to Buddhism.