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Historical Figure

Murasaki Shikibu

Also Known As Fujiwara no Kaoruko (scholarly conjecture, unconfirmed) Her personal name is unknown; Fujiwara no Kaoruko is a proposed identification from a 1007 court diary entry, not a settled fact.
Writers and Artists

Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973-c. 1014 or 1025 CE) was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the imperial court during the Heian period. Her personal name is unknown; Murasaki Shikibu is a descriptive name assigned to her. She is best known as the author of The Tale of Genji, a long prose narrative following the life and romances of a fictional imperial son, generally considered one of the world's earliest novels and a landmark of Japanese literature. Written in the vernacular Japanese used by court women of the period rather than in the Chinese favored for formal writing, her work offers a detailed portrait of Heian court life and remains widely read and studied today.

Facts
Disputed
Death Year
1014 1
Most scholars accept 1014, but Bowring and Waley argue for a date as late as 1025; not settled.
Role
Role (category)
Writer / Scholar 1
Partially Attested
Birth Year
973 1
Birth year approximate (c. 973); exact date unknown.
Classification
Gender
Female 1
Role
Novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Heian imperial court 1
Birthplace
Heian-kyo (present-day Kyoto), Japan 1
Connections

In Era

The Post-Classical and Medieval Period, Eras
Source Wikipedia: Murasaki Shikibu
In the Other Atlases

Originated In

Asia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Murasaki Shikibu
Wikipedia
  • Early life section, birth clause
    Murasaki Shikibu was born c. 973 in Heian-kyō, Japan
  • Later life and death section
    Shirane mentions that 1014 is generally accepted as the date of Murasaki Shikibu's death and 973 as the date of her birth, making her 41 when she died.
  • Lead paragraph, occupation clause
    was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period.
  • Lead paragraph, personal-name clause
    Murasaki Shikibu is a descriptive name; her personal name is unknown, but she may have been Fujiwara no Kaoruko (藤原香子), who was mentioned in a 1007 court diary as an imperial lady-in-waiting.
  • Murasaki Shikibu: Gender
    Murasaki Shikibu is a descriptive name; her personal name is unknown, but she may have been Fujiwara no Kaoruko (藤原香子), who was mentioned in a 1007 court diary as an imperial lady-in-waiting.
  • In Era: The Post-Classical and Medieval Period, Article text
    Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部; [mɯ.ɾa.sa.kʲi ɕi̥.kiꜜ.bɯ, -ɕi̥ꜜ.kʲi-], c. 973, c. 1014 or 1025), or Shijo (紫女; [ɕiꜜ.(d)ʑo], lit. 'Lady Murasaki'), was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period.
View the Source
Wikidata: Murasaki Shikibu
Wikidata Q81731, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source

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