Murasaki Shikibu gave us great insight into what the ideal man and woman at court are in his work The Tale of Genji. Although there are no concrete physical descriptions in the abridged version we read, the depth of some characters' personalities shows us the ideal being one should be in the Heian court. Compared to the perceived ideals today, the ideal man and woman seem to have changed only due to the influence of the media. First, the ideal man seems to be how Genji has been portrayed throughout the book. For example, he was repeatedly described as "beautiful", with some kind of metaphorical phrase attached very often - for example, at the beginning of Momiji no Ga, Tō no Chūjō is compared to a "common mountain tree”, while Genji is compared to a “cherry blossom” despite his handsome appearance in Tō no Chūjō (128). Genji is also described as a skilled writer; in a note he sends to the nun in Wakamurasaki, he writes with “a hand so young that all gentlewomen urged [Murasaki] to put it directly in his notebook", which I took as a gesture of great admiration and exemplary of his writing as an example for all others (112-113). So, in addition to his devastating appearance and the his excellent writing, he was also skilled in the arts, such as music, dance and even painting. In the same opening scene of Momiji no Ga, Genji had danced and sung so well "His Majesty was sufficiently transported with joy to wipe his eyes, and all the noble elders and princes wept" (129). Genji was also able to play a variety of instruments, such as the sō no koto, the fue, and the kin (the former two mentioned in Momiji no Ga, the latter played alongside Akashi's daughter Novice... middle of paper). .....ions makes him perfect in the end (because no one can not have any imperfections), while women like Aoi and Murasaki seem to be the prototype of the ideal woman (for both men and women) today Equerry in Hahakigi seems to sum up how he should find a lover well, and his observation should apply to everyone, not just men seeking women. I think with the advent of media and making the ideal too idyllic, we have come to cast aside perfectly good people looking for "the one", like Genji and Tō no Chūjō, and we have to come to understand that all People have imperfections and we need to accept people for who they are and bring out the best in themselves instead of expecting them to be ideal before we meet them. Works Cited Shikibu, Murasaki (Translated by Royall Tyler) The Tale of Genji. Reduced. New York, NewYork: Penguin Books, 2006. Print.