A lost, ancestral chapter of what is widely considered to be the world’s first novel has been found.
The manuscript was located in the Tokyo home of the descendant of a former feudal lord, according to the Asahi Shimbun, a national newspaper in Japan.
The Tale of Genji, composed by novelist Murasaki Shikibu, was written in the 11th century while the author was a lady-in-waiting at the Japanese court.
It tells the story of a prince named Genji, who meets and eventually marries a woman named Murasaki, like the author.
Experts have confirmed the authenticity of the newfound manuscript, according to Japanese media.
The manuscript has been described as 21.9cm (8.6in) long and 14.3cm (5.6in) wide.
No original version of The Tale of Genji is believed to have survived, but other writers have transcribed the story.
The newly uncovered manuscript was transcribed by the Japanese poet Fujiwara no Teika, according to experts. Teika’s transcriptions are believed to be the oldest available versions of the novel.
Four other chapters also transcribed by Teika have previously been recovered.
Current work on the newly discovered chapter was previously done using manuscripts completed two and a half centuries following Teika’s era, Junko Yamamoto, a professor at the Kyoto University of Advanced Science, told the Asahi Shimbun.
“It is very significant that this discovery of the manuscript edited by Teika will be available for researchers,” she told the publication.
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