The ten quires of Tamakazura consist of short chapters which deal with the story around her, beginning with Hatsune (The First Warbler) and ending with Miyuki (The Imperial Process), in which a year in the Rokujo estate is elegantly depicted, focusing on elegance rather than the plot itself.
玉鬘十帖は彼女をめぐる物語を中心に、「初音」より「行幸」に六条院の一年を優雅な筆致で描く短い帖によって構成されており、話の運びよりも風情が主体となっている。