Kiritsubo Consort (桐壺更衣, Kiritsubo no Kōi) is a fictional character in The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari).
[1] The Emperor favored her over all his other ladies, despite her relatively lower rank.
He would stay with her longer than was generally considered "proper" and with the court's concern for propriety it was quite scandalous.
After her death, Genji constantly sought to fill the void left by this loss by forming relationships with various women, many of whom resembled his mother.
[3] This article about a literature character is a stub.