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Murasaki Shikibu: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Murasaki Shikibu
Murasaki Shikibu was born into a world that would never know her real name, for in the Heian period, a woman's identity was often subsumed by the titles of her male relatives. She was a member of the northern Fujiwara clan, a family that had once held the highest echelons of power but had gradually slipped to the middle ranks of the aristocracy by the time of her birth around 973. Her father, Fujiwara no Tametoki, was a scholar and a minor official, yet he possessed a rare and unconventional view of his daughter. While the rest of society believed women were incapable of real intelligence and therefore should not be educated in Chinese, the language of government, Murasaki's father allowed her to listen to his son's lessons and master the classics. She became unusually proficient at understanding passages that her brother found too difficult, prompting her father to lament, 'What a pity she was not born a man!' This precocious aptitude set her apart from the typical noblewoman, who was expected to remain secluded and uneducated in the written language of the state. The name 'Murasaki' itself, meaning violet, was likely bestowed upon her at court, possibly in reference to the color of wisteria, an element of her clan name, or perhaps as a tribute to the main female character in the story she would later write. 'Shikibu' was not a surname but a reference to the Ministry of Ceremonials where her father served, a title that would become the only name by which history remembers her.
A Life In Between
Murasaki's personal life was marked by a series of losses that shaped her worldview and provided the emotional depth for her writing. She lived in her father's household on Teramachi Street in Kyoto, separated from the traditional patriarchal structure, until she married her father's friend, Fujiwara no Nobutaka, in her mid-to-late twenties. This was an unconventional age for marriage, and her husband, a court functionary known for his extravagant dress and talent as a dancer, was significantly older and already had multiple households with other wives and children. The marriage was brief; two years after the birth of their daughter, Kenshi, in 999, Nobutaka died during a cholera epidemic. Murasaki was left a widow with a young child, and her diary reveals a profound state of grief and listlessness. She wrote, 'I felt depressed and confused. For some years I had existed from day to day in listless fashion... The thought of my continuing loneliness was quite unbearable.' It was during this period of widowhood, possibly while retreating to the Ishiyama-dera temple at Lake Biwa, that she began to write The Tale of Genji. The legend suggests she was inspired to write on an August night while gazing at the moon, though scholars dismiss the factual basis of this story, noting instead that she likely distributed newly written chapters to friends who would re-copy them, spreading her reputation as an author before she ever entered the imperial court.
Common questions
When was Murasaki Shikibu born and what was her family background?
Murasaki Shikibu was born around 973 into the northern Fujiwara clan, a family that had slipped from the highest echelons of power to the middle ranks of the aristocracy. Her father, Fujiwara no Tametoki, was a scholar and minor official who allowed her to study Chinese classics despite societal norms that restricted female education.
What was the marriage of Murasaki Shikibu like and when did her husband die?
Murasaki Shikibu married Fujiwara no Nobutaka in her mid-to-late twenties, and he died during a cholera epidemic in 999, two years after the birth of their daughter Kenshi. Her husband was significantly older, already had multiple households, and was known for his extravagant dress and talent as a dancer.
When did Murasaki Shikibu serve as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi?
Murasaki Shikibu was invited to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi in 1005, a position secured by the powerful Fujiwara no Michinaga. She worked in a hostile environment alongside other women like Izumi Shikibu and Sei Shōnagon while navigating intense political maneuvering at the Imperial court.
What are the dates for the writing of The Tale of Genji and how many chapters does it contain?
The Tale of Genji was written between 1000 and 1012 and spans 54 chapters across 1100 pages. The work was considered complete by 1021 and became a subject of scholarly criticism within a century of its completion.
When did Murasaki Shikibu die and what is the uncertainty surrounding her death date?
Most scholars agree that Murasaki Shikibu died in 1014, though others suggest she was alive as late as 1025. Her father made a hasty return to Kyoto in 1014, possibly because of her death, and her daughter Kenshi entered court service in 1025.
In 1005, Murasaki was invited to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi at the Imperial court, a position secured by the powerful Fujiwara no Michinaga, who likely sought to use her reputation as a writer to build a rival salon to that of her sister-in-law, the Empress Teishi. This period of court life was defined by intense political maneuvering and literary competition. Michinaga had arranged for his daughter Shōshi to become Empress alongside Teishi, creating an unprecedented situation of concurrent empresses, and he needed a woman of letters to elevate Shōshi's standing. Murasaki found herself in a hostile environment, surrounded by women like Izumi Shikibu and Sei Shōnagon, the author of The Pillow Book. While Shōnagon was witty, clever, and outspoken, Murasaki was withdrawn and sensitive, and their temperaments clashed. Murasaki wrote disparagingly of Izumi Shikibu, calling her poetry unsatisfactory, and she criticized Shōnagon for being 'dreadfully conceited' and for flaunting her knowledge of Chinese characters. The court was a place of extreme refinement where emotions were expressed through the layering of clothing and the use of fragrances, but it was also a place of deep loneliness for Murasaki. She disliked the men at court, whom she thought were drunken and stupid, and she found the atmosphere of Shōshi's court to be 'extremely dull.' Despite the pressure from Michinaga, who pursued her romantically and even sneaked into her room to steal a newly written chapter of Genji, Murasaki maintained a distance, writing to him in a poem, 'You have neither read my book, nor won my love.'
The Secret Language
Murasaki's time at court was complicated by her knowledge of Chinese, a language that was considered the domain of men and the written language of government. While most noblewomen were expected to write only in Japanese, the syllabary known as kana, Murasaki had been educated in classical Chinese by her father. This knowledge made her a valuable asset to Empress Shōshi, who was interested in Chinese art and the ballads of Bai Juyi, but it also made her a target for criticism. When Shōshi installed screens decorated with Chinese script, causing outrage among the courtiers, Murasaki taught the language to the Empress in secret, writing in her diary, 'Since last summer... very secretly, in odd moments when there happened to be no one about, I have been reading with Her Majesty.' This act was almost subversive, as it went against the notion that only men should have access to such literature. The courtiers, who viewed her knowledge as pretentious, began to call her 'The Lady of the Chronicles,' an allusion to the classic Chronicles of Japan, in a derogatory attempt to mock her. Murasaki found this nickname ridiculous, yet she continued to use Chinese in her writing while publicly rejecting the language, a commendable attitude during a period of burgeoning Japanese culture. Her ability to navigate this linguistic divide allowed her to create a unique voice in her work, blending formal Chinese style with mundane subjects to produce a sense of parody and satire that was distinct from her contemporaries.
The Shining Prince
The Tale of Genji, written between 1000 and 1012, stands as a monumental achievement in world literature, spanning 1100 pages and 54 chapters. It is widely considered to be one of the world's first novels, a work that eliminated the elements of fairy tales and fantasy found in earlier tales to focus on the human condition. The story follows the life of Prince Genji, a 'shining prince' who is gifted, comely, and refined, yet deeply human and sympathetic. Murasaki used the narrative to explore themes of the fragility of life, the sorrow of romantic love, and the tyranny of time, a term she used over a thousand times in the text. The work was so popular that Emperor Ichijō had it read to him, even though it was written in Japanese, and by 1021 all the chapters were known to be complete. The story was sought after in the provinces, where it was scarce, and it became a subject of scholarly criticism within a century of its completion. Murasaki's genius lay in her ability to create a form that was utterly modern, developing the genre of monogatari far beyond its traditional bounds. She drew on traditions of court diaries and earlier tales, blending styles from Chinese histories and narrative poetry to create a work that transcended its genre and age. The Tale of Genji gave a view into the Heian period, where love affairs flourished, yet women typically remained unseen behind screens, curtains, or partitions, creating a world of hidden beauty and inevitable sorrow.
The Lady of the Chronicles
Murasaki's legacy extends far beyond the pages of her novel, influencing Japanese culture for over a millennium. Her diary, The Diary of Lady Murasaki, covers the period from 1008 to 1010 and provides the primary source of information about her life at court, detailing her relationships with other ladies-in-waiting, the birth of Shōshi's sons, and the process of writing Genji. The diary also includes Poetic Memoirs, a collection of 128 poems that were published in 1206 by Fujiwara no Teika. Her work became required reading for court poets as early as the 12th century, and within a century of her death, she was highly regarded as a classical writer. In the 17th century, her writing became emblematic of Confucian philosophy, and women were encouraged to read her books for their sensitivity and depiction of emotions. The Tale of Genji was copied and illustrated in various forms, including the Genji Monogatari Emaki, a late Heian era handscroll consisting of four scrolls, 19 paintings, and 20 sheets of calligraphy. The work has been the subject of reams of criticism and many books, with scholars comparing her to Shakespeare, Austen, and Proust. Her influence is so profound that the design on the reverse of the 2000 yen note commemorates her and The Tale of Genji, and a plant bearing purple berries has been named after her.
The Final Years
Murasaki's life at court ended when Emperor Ichijō died in 1011, and she retired with Empress Shōshi to a Fujiwara mansion in the Lake Biwa region. It is uncertain when she died, with most scholars agreeing on 1014, though others suggest she was alive as late as 1025. Her father, who had been posted to Echigo Province, made a hasty return to Kyoto that year, possibly because of her death. Her daughter, Kenshi, entered court service in 1025 as a wet nurse to the future Emperor Go-Reizei and went on to become a well-known poet as Daini no Sanmi. Murasaki's brother, Nobunori, had died around 1011, and her father died in 1029, leaving her with few family ties. The legend of her retirement to Ishiyama-dera, where she devoted the remainder of her days to literature and religion, has been contested by scholars, yet the chamber in the temple where the Genji was written is shown with the ink-slab which the author used, and a Buddhist Sutra in her handwriting. Her work continued to be celebrated and illustrated by Japanese artists, including Tosa Mitsuoki, who made her the subject of hanging scrolls in the 17th century. The Tale of Genji became a favorite subject of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock masters, and by the middle of the Edo period, the mass-produced prints made the illustrations accessible for the samurai classes and commoners. Murasaki's life, though largely unknown to the public in her time, has become a symbol of literary genius and female virtue, inspiring museum exhibits, Genji manga spin-offs, and a year-long celebration in 2008 commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Genji.