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Murasaki Shikibu

Type Figure Region Japan Time c. 973–1014 Also known as Fujiwara no Kaeko

Murasaki Shikibu was a female writer of the mid-to-late Heian period, born around 973 and dying around 1014.…

Timeline

  1. c. 973–990Heian-kyō · Kyoto PrefectureMurasaki Shikibu came from a collateral branch of the Fujiwara clan; her father Fujiwara no Tametoki had served as Dainagon of the Ministry of Ceremonials. From a family of scholars, she studied Chinese classics and waka poetry from childhood, laying the foundation for her later literary work.
  2. c. 1001–1010Inner Palace of Emperor Ichijō · Kyoto PrefectureAround 1001 she entered court service to Empress Fujiwara no Shōshi, renowned for her Chinese learning and narrative talent. During this period she wrote and continued The Tale of Genji, influencing later literature with its delicate psychological portrayal and long-form structure.
  3. c. 1010–1014Heian-kyō · Kyoto PrefectureIn her later years she may have briefly left court; according to the Murasaki Shikibu Diary and other sources she continued recording court affairs in waka and diary entries, dying around 1014, remembered posthumously as the author of The Tale of Genji.

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