The Art of Seduction (55 page)

the Kano School to execute
lifted the cup on the other side, to our lips, and said again, 'One family—all
her bamboo crest in

one family' " The women were given more gifts, then were escorted back
powdered gold on the tiny

to their sedan chairs and borne out of the Forbidden City.

shells of these crabs; he

fixed the price of each

The women relayed to their husbands their earnest belief that they had
painted shell at one

all been wrong about the empress. The American ambassador's wife re
rectangular piece of gold,
ported, "She was bright and happy and her face glowed with good will.
and presented them to

Chitose throughout the
There was no trace of cruelty to be seen. . . . Her actions were full of free
year, so that she never
dom and warmth. . . . [We left] full of admiration for her majesty and
lacked for them.

hopes for China." The husbands reported back to their governments: the

— I H A R A SAIKAKU,
THE LIFE OF

emperor was fine, and the empress could be trusted.

AN AMOROUS WOMAN, AND

OTHER WRITINGS,
TRANSLATED

Interpretation.
The foreign contingent in China had no idea what was really happening in the Forbidden City. In truth, the emperor had con
For such men as have
spired to arrest and possibly murder his aunt. Discovering the plot, a terri
practised love, have ever
ble crime in Confucian terms, she forced him to sign his own abdication,
held this a sound maxim
had him confined, and told the outside world that he was ill. As part of his
that there is naught to be
punishment, he was to appear at state functions and act as if nothing had
compared with a woman in

her clothes. Again when

happened.

you reflect how a man doth

The empress dowager loathed Westerners, whom she considered bar
brave, rumple, squeeze and
barians. She disliked the ambassadors' wives, with their ugly fashions and
make light of his lady's

finery, and how he doth

simpering ways. The banquet was a show, a seduction, to appease the West-
Pay Attention to Detail
•
269

ern powers, which had been threatening invasion if the emperor had been
work ruin and loss to the
killed. The goal of the seduction was simple: dazzle the wives with color,
grand cloth of gold and web
of silver, to tinsel

spectacle, theater. The empress applied all her expertise to the task, and she
and silken stuffs, pearls and
was a genius for detail. She had designed the spectacles in a rising order—
precious stones, 'tis plain
the uniformed eunuchs first, then the Manchu ladies in their headdresses,
how his ardour and
and finally the empress herself. It was pure theater, and it was overwhelm-
satisfaction be increased
manifold
—
far more than

ing. Then the empress brought the spectacle down a notch, humanizing it
with some simple
with gifts, warm greetings, the reassuring presence of the emperor, teas,
shepherdess or other woman
and entertainments, which were in no way inferior to anything in the West.
of like quality, be she as
fair as she may.
•
And why

She ended the banquet on another high note—the little drama with the
of yore was Venus found so
sharing of the teacups, followed by even more magnificent gifts. The
fair and so desirable, if not
women's heads were spinning when they left. In truth they had never seen
that with all her beauty she

was always gracefully

such exotic splendor—and they never understood how carefully its details
attired likewise, and
had been orchestrated by the empress. Charmed by the spectacle, they trans-
generally scented, that she
ferred their happy feelings to the empress and gave her their approval—all
did ever smell sweet an
hundred paces away? For it

that she required.

hath ever been held of all

The key to distracting people (seduction is distraction) is to fill their
how that perfumes be a
eyes and ears with details, little rituals, colorful objects. Detail is what
great incitement to love.
•

makes things seem real and substantial. A thoughtful gift won't seem to
This is the reason why the

Empresses and great dames

have an ulterior motive. A ritual full of charming little actions is so enjoy-
of Rome did make much
able to watch. Jewelry, handsome furnishings, touches of color in clothing,
usage of these perfumes, as
dazzle the eye. It is a childish weakness of ours: we prefer to focus on the
do likewise our great ladies
of France
—
and above all

pleasant little details rather than on the larger picture. The more senses you
those of Spain and Italy,

appeal to, the more mesmerizing the effect. The objects you use in your se-
which from the oldest times
duction (gifts, clothes, etc.) speak their own language, and it is a powerful
have been more curious and
more exquisite in luxury

one. Never ignore a detail or leave one to chance. Orchestrate them into a
than Frenchwomen, as well
spectacle and no one will notice how manipulative you are being.

in perfumes as in costumes

and magnificent attire,

whereof the fair ones of

France have since borrowed

The Sensuous Effect

the patterns and copied the

dainty workmanship.

Moreover the others, Italian

One day a messenger told Prince Genji—the aging but still consum-
and Spanish, had learned
mate seducer in the Heian court of late-tenth-century Japan—that
the same from old models
one of his youthful conquests had suddenly died, leaving behind an or-
and ancient statues of
phan, a young woman named Tamakazura. Genji was not Tamakazura s fa-
Roman ladies, the which
are to be seen among

ther, but he decided to bring her to court and be her protector anyway.
sundry other antiquities yet
Soon after her arrival, men of the highest rank began to woo her. Genji
extant in Spain and Italy;
had told everyone she was a lost daughter of his; as a result, they assumed
the which, if any man will
regard them carefully, will

that she was beautiful, for Genji was the handsomest man in the court. (At
be found very perfect in
the time, men rarely saw a young girl's face before marriage; in theory, they
mode of hair-dressing and
were allowed to talk to her only if she was on the other side of a screen.)
fashion of robes, and very
meet to incite love.

Genji showered her with attention, helping her sort through all the love letters she was receiving and advising her on the right match.

—SEIGNEUR DE BRANTÔME,

LIVES OF FAIR & GALLANT

As Tamakazura's protector, Genji was able to see her face, and she was
LADIES,
TRANSLATED BY A. R. indeed beautiful. He fell in love with her. What a shame, he thought, to ALLINSON

give this lovely creature away to another man. One night, overwhelmed by
270
•
The Art of Seduction

For years after her entry
her charms, he held her hand and told her how much she resembled her
into the palace, a large
mother, whom he once had loved. She trembled—not with excitement,
number of court-maidens
however, but with fear, for although he was not her father, he was supposed
were especially set aside for

preparing Kuei-fei 's
to be her protector, not a suitor. Her attendants were away and it was a
dresses, which were chosen
beautiful night. Genji silently threw off his perfumed robe and pulled her
and fashioned according to
down beside him. She began to cry, and to resist. Always a gentleman,
the flowers of the season.

For instance, for New Year
Genji told her that he would respect her wishes, he would always care for
(spring) she had blossoms
her, and she had nothing to fear. He then politely excused himself.
of apricot, plum and

Several days later Genji was helping Tamakazura with her correspon
narcissus; for summer, she
dence when he read a love letter from his younger brother, Prince Hotaru,
adopted the lotus; for

autumn, she patterned
who numbered among her suitors. In the letter, Hotaru berated Tama
them after the peony; for
kazura for not letting him get physically close enough to talk to her and tell
winter, she employed the
her his feelings. Tamakazura had not replied; unused to the manners of the
chrysanthemum. Of

jewelry she was fondest of
court, she had felt shy and intimidated. As if to help her, Genji got one of
pearls, and the finest
his servants to write to Hotaru in her name. The letter, written on beauti
products of the world found
ful perfumed paper, warmly invited the prince to visit her.
their way into her boudoir

and were frequently

Hotaru appeared at the appointed hour. He smelled a beguiling in
embroidered on her
cense, mysterious and seductive. (Mixed into this scent was Genji's own
numerous dresses.
•
Kuei-
perfume.) The prince felt a wave of excitement. Approaching the screen
fei was the embodiment of
behind which Tamakazura sat, he confessed his love for her. Without mak
all that was lovely and
extravagant. No wonder
ing a sound, she retreated to another screen, farther away. Suddenly there
that no king, prince,
was a flash of light, as if a torch had flared up, and Hotaru saw her profile
courtier or humble
behind the screen: she was more beautiful than he had imagined. Two
attendant who ever met her

could resist the allurement
things delighted the prince: the sudden, mysterious flash of light, and the
of her charms. Besides, she
brief glimpse of his beloved. Now he was truly in love.
was the most artful of

Hotaru began to court her assiduously. Meanwhile, feeling reassured that
women and knew how to

use her natural gifts to the
Genji was no longer chasing her, Tamakazura saw her protector more often.
best purpose. . . . The
And now she could not help noticing little details: Genji's robes seemed to
Emperor Ming Huang,
glow, in pleasing and vibrant colors, as if dyed by unworldly hands. Hotaru's
supreme in the land and

robes seemed drab by comparison. And the perfumes burned into Genji's
with thousands of the most

handsome maidens to
garments, how intoxicating they were. No one else bore such a scent. Ho
choose from, became a
taru's letters were polite and well written, but the letters Genji sent her were
complete slave to her
on magnificent paper, perfumed and dyed, and they quoted lines of poetry,
magnetic powers . . .

spending day and night in
always surprising yet always appropriate for the occasion. Genji also grew
her company and giving up
and gathered flowers—wild carnations, for instance—that he gave as gifts
his whole kingdom
and that seemed to symbolize his unique charm.
for her sake.

One evening Genji proposed to teach Tamakazura how to play the

— S H U - C H I U N G ,
YANG KUEI-

FEI: THE MOST FAMOUS

koto. She was delighted. She loved to read romance novels, and whenever
BEAUTY OF CHINA

Genji played the koto, she felt as if she were transported into one of her books. No one played the instrument better than Genji; she would be honored to learn from him. Now he saw her often, and the method of his lessons was simple: she would choose a song for him to play, and then
Then
[
Pao-yu
]
called

Bright Design to him and
would try to imitate him. After they played, they would lie down side by
said to her, "Go and see
side, their heads resting on the koto, staring up at the moon. Genji would
what
[
Black Jade
]
is doing.
have torches set up in the garden, giving the view the softest glow.
If she asks about me, just

say that I am quite all

The more Tamakazura saw of the court—of Prince Hotaru, the other

Pay Attention to Detail • 271

suitors, the emperor himself—the more she realized that none could com-
right now. "
•
"You'll have
pare to Genji. He was supposed to be her protector, yes, that was still true,
to think of a better excuse

than that," Bright Design

but was it such a sin to fall in love with him? Confused, she found herself
said. "Isn't there anything
giving in to the caresses and kisses that he began to surprise her with, now
that you can send or want
that she was too weak to resist.

to borrow? I don't want to

go there and feel like a fool

without anything to say. "
•

Pao-yu thought for a

Interpretation.
Genji is the protagonist in the eleventh-century novel
The moment and then took two
Tale of Genji,
written by Murasaki Shikibu, a woman of the Heian court.
handkerchiefs from under

his pillow and gave them

The character was most likely inspired by the real-life seducer Fujiwara no
to the maid, saying, "Well

Korechika.

then, tell her that I sent

In his seduction of Tamakazura, Genji's strategy was simple: he would
you with these,"
•
"What

a strange present to send"

make her realize indirectly how charming and irresistible he was by sur
the maid smiled. "What
rounding her with unspoken details. He also brought her in contact with
does she want two old

his brother; comparison with this drab, stiff figure would make Genji's su-
handkerchiefs for? She will
periority clear. The night Hotaru first visited her, Genji set everything up,
be angry again and say

that you are trying to make

as if to support Hotaru's seducing—the mysterious scent, then the flash of
fun of her."
•
"Don't
light by the screen. (The light came from a novel effect: earlier in the eve-
worry" Pao-yu assured her.
ning, Genji had collected hundreds of fireflies in a cloth bag. At the proper

"She will understand."
•

Black Jade had already

moment he let them all go at once.) But when Tamakazura saw Genji en
retired when Bright Design
couraging Hotaru's pursuit of her, her defenses against her protector re-
arrived at the Bamboo
laxed, allowing her senses to be filled by this master of seductive effects.
Retreat. "What brought