“The Tale of Genji” Back-Translation Project Led to Touching Encounter with Keene; Poet Sisters Recount Memories of Scholar at Packed Talk Event in Tokyo

By Futoshi Mori / Japan News Senior Writer

12:49 JST, February 17, 2026

A talk event on Arthur Waley’s translation of “The Tale of Genji,” featuring poet sisters Marie Mariya and Megumi Moriyama, was held on Saturday at the Setagaya Literary Museum in Tokyo.

It was a huge success, as over 100 attendees packed into the venue to hear the women speak. The two sisters, who published a retranslation into Japanese of Waley’s English version of “Genji,” entertained the audience by discussing the unique charms of both Waley’s edition and their own back-translation, along with new discoveries and anecdotes from the translation process.

Japanese literature scholar Donald Keene, who died in February 2019 at the age of 96, cherished “The Tale of Genji” throughout his life. Saturday’s talk event was held in connection with a Donald Keene exhibition that is currently underway at the museum.

The two shared a memory from December 2016, when they met Donald Keene, then 94 years old, at an event held by a haiku circle which he attended as a guest. The sisters brought a copy of Waley’s “Genji” and told Keene they had been back-translating it into Japanese. He was overjoyed to hear of the project, and his eyes sparkled as he spoke passionately in English about the brilliance of “The Tale of Genji.” The sisters said that in this moment they felt a heart-to-heart connection with the scholar, whom they had previously thought of as being out of reach for them.

A year later, they presented the first volume of the retranslated Genji to Keene, who was delighted enough to send them a photo of himself smiling while holding the book. The complete four-volume work was finished in July 2019, after Keene’s death. He encouraged the project until the very end.

More events coming

During the exhibition, which will continue until March 8, the Literary Museum will host two more events featuring individuals closely connected to Keene. One, featuring Keene’s adopted son Seiki, is scheduled to be held on Feb. 23, the day before the anniversary of Keene’s passing. Seiki will give a Joruri storytelling performance while playing the shamisen.

The other event, on March 1, will feature Yukio Kakuchi, who translated many of Keene’s later works. He will give a lecture reflecting on Keene’s history with Japanese literature and their own personal interactions.