Murasaki Shikibu: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji at the Heian court around 1000–1012, steeped in Chinese classical poetry, imperial waka anthologies, and the vernacular kana prose then being invented by court women. This mix traces the Tang and Japanese sources she quotes, the rival diarists of Empress Teishi's and Shōshi's salons, and the millennium of translation, painting, and fiction that followed.

The Kynda mix for Murasaki Shikibu

• Key Influence · Song of Everlasting Sorrow (Chang hen ge) by Bai Juyi (806). Genji opens by echoing Bai Juyi's lament for Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei: an emperor's ruinous love for a low-ranking favourite, resented by the court. Bai's collected poems circulated widely in Heian Japan and Murasaki's diary records her secretly tutoring Empress Shōshi in his 'New Ballads'. Quotations and allusions to Chinese verse structure the Kiritsubo chapter and recur across the novel's fifty-four books.
• Influencia Obscura · The Tale of the Hollow Tree (Utsuho Monogatari) by Anonymous (c. 970–999). A sprawling, uneven tenth-century monogatari about a musical dynasty and a marriage contest, largely unread today outside specialist circles. Murasaki names earlier tales in Genji's famous 'defence of fiction' in the Fireflies chapter, and Utsuho's multi-generational sweep and courtship rivalries are the closest structural precedent for what she attempted at far greater length and psychological depth.
• Local Roots · The Pillow Book (Makura no Sōshi) by Sei Shōnagon (c. 1002). Written at the same Heian-kyō court a few years earlier, for the rival Empress Teishi. Murasaki's own diary contains a famously acid passage criticising Sei Shōnagon's showy display of Chinese learning and self-satisfaction. The two works are the twin pillars of Heian women's kana prose: Sei's lists and flashes of wit against Murasaki's long psychological arc.
• Beyond the Medium · Genji Monogatari Emaki by Anonymous Heian court painters (c. 1120–1140). The oldest surviving illustrated handscroll of Genji, painted roughly a century after the novel, using tsukuri-e technique and fukinuki yatai — the 'blown-off roof' view that lets the eye look down into rooms. Its blank-featured hikime kagibana faces and calligraphic text panels shaped how every later generation visualised Murasaki's scenes, and are a National Treasure of Japan.
• Peer · The Izumi Shikibu Diary by Izumi Shikibu (c. 1004). Izumi Shikibu served alongside Murasaki in Empress Shōshi's salon under Fujiwara no Michinaga. Her diary-romance of an affair with Prince Atsumichi mixes third-person narration with over 140 exchanged poems. Murasaki's own diary assesses her fellow lady-in-waiting's talents with characteristic ambivalence, praising her effortless poems while doubting her scholarship.
• From the Canon · The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) by Murasaki Shikibu (c. 1008). Fifty-four chapters tracking Genji's loves, exile to Suma, political restoration and death, then shifting to the darker Uji chapters of Kaoru and Niou. Written in kana for court women and read aloud in installments at Shōshi's salon; Michinaga is said to have taken drafts. Its sustained interiority and mono no aware make it the standard candidate for the world's first psychological novel.
• Key Collaborator · Midō Kanpakuki by Fujiwara no Michinaga (998–1021). The regent's own surviving diary, written in Chinese, is the political counterpart to Murasaki's. Michinaga installed his daughter Shōshi as empress and recruited Murasaki to her salon as a literary ornament; her diary shows him teasing her over a manuscript and taking copies of Genji away. Without his patronage the tale's production and circulation are hard to imagine.
• Legacy · The Makioka Sisters (Sasameyuki) by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (1948). Tanizaki produced three complete modern Japanese translations of Genji across his career, and its influence saturates this slow chronicle of four Osaka sisters, marriage negotiations and seasonal ritual as a world quietly dissolves. The elegiac attention to cherry-viewing, kimono and decline is a direct twentieth-century transposition of Heian mono no aware.

What influenced Murasaki Shikibu

• Sei Shōnagon. Text states Murasaki was to an extent influenced by Sei Shōnagon. (also via The Pillow Book (Makura no Sōshi), The Pillow Book) “Murasaki, who wrote about Shōnagon in her diary, certainly knew of her, and to an extent was influenced by her” (Wikipedia)
• William Shakespeare (1564). Mulhern compares Murasaki's cultural role to Shakespeare's. “Mulhern says of Murasaki that she is similar to Shakespeare, who represented his Elizabethan England, in that she captured the essence of the Heian court” (Wikipedia)
• The Tales of Ise. Keene states Murasaki drew on The Tales of Ise among earlier monogatari. “drawing on traditions of waka court diaries, and earlier monogatari —written in a mixture of Chinese script and Japanese script—such as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter or The Tales of Ise” (Wikipedia)
• The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Keene states Murasaki drew on earlier monogatari including The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. “drawing on traditions of waka court diaries, and earlier monogatari —written in a mixture of Chinese script and Japanese script—such as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter or The Tales of Ise” (Wikipedia)
• The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon. Keene argues Murasaki wrote Genji as a response to The Pillow Book. “he believes Murasaki was brought to court to write Genji in response to Shōnagon's popular Pillow Book” (Wikipedia)
• Marcel Proust (1871). Reviewers compared Genji's literary quality to that of Proust. (via The Tale of Genji) “reviewers compared Genji to Austen, Proust, and Shakespeare” (Wikipedia)
• Jane Austen (1775). Reviewers compared Genji's literary quality to that of Austen. (via The Tale of Genji) “reviewers compared Genji to Austen, Proust, and Shakespeare” (Wikipedia)
• Song of Everlasting Sorrow (Chang hen ge) by Bai Juyi (806). Song of Everlasting Sorrow (Chang hen ge) (Bai Juyi) — titan for Murasaki Shikibu “=== "The Lady of the Chronicles" === Although the popularity of the Chinese language diminished in the late Heian era, Chinese ballads continued to be popular, including those written by Bai Juyi.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Kokin Wakashū by Ki no Tsurayuki. Kokin Wakashū (Ki no Tsurayuki) — titan for Murasaki Shikibu “Her great-grandfather and grandfather were both friendly with Ki no Tsurayuki, who became notable for popularizing Japanese-language verse.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Genji Monogatari Emaki by Anonymous Heian court painters. Genji Monogatari Emaki (Anonymous Heian court painters) — culture for Murasaki Shikibu
• Genji-kō incense game patterns by Japanese kōdō tradition. Genji-kō incense game patterns (Japanese kōdō tradition) — culture for Murasaki Shikibu
• The Tale of the Hollow Tree (Utsuho Monogatari) by Anonymous. The Tale of the Hollow Tree (Utsuho Monogatari) (Anonymous) — ghost for Murasaki Shikibu

Peers and kindred spirits

• Fujiwara no Michinaga. Michinaga brought Murasaki to court, establishing a patronage relationship. (also via Midō Kanpakuki) “In about 1005, she was invited to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi at the Imperial court by Fujiwara no Michinaga, probably because of her reputation as a writer” (Wikipedia)
• Midō Kanpakuki by Fujiwara no Michinaga (998). Midō Kanpakuki (Fujiwara no Michinaga) — collaborator for Murasaki Shikibu “In about 1005, she was invited to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi at the Imperial court by Fujiwara no Michinaga, probably because of her reputation as a writer.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Izumi Shikibu Diary by Izumi Shikibu. The Izumi Shikibu Diary (Izumi Shikibu) — peer for Murasaki Shikibu “She gathered around her talented women writers such as Izumi Shikibu and Akazome Emon—the author of an early vernacular history, The Tale of Flowering Fortunes.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Empress Shōshi. Establishes Murasaki's role as tutor to Shōshi. “Murasaki taught Chinese to Shōshi who was interested in Chinese art and Juyi's ballads” (Wikipedia)
• The Pillow Book (Makura no Sōshi) by Sei Shōnagon. The Pillow Book (Makura no Sōshi) (Sei Shōnagon) — geography for Murasaki Shikibu “Indeed it does not seem to me that in herself she is really a poet at all." Sei Shōnagon, author of The Pillow Book, had been in service as lady-in-waiting to Teishi when Shōshi came to court; it is possible that Murasaki was invited to …” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Tale of Genji (English translation) by Arthur Waley (1925). The Tale of Genji (English translation) (Arthur Waley) — collaborator for Murasaki Shikibu “According to Arthur Waley, Shōshi was a serious-minded young lady, whose living arrangements were divided between her father's household and her court at the Imperial Palace.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Gossamer Years (Kagerō Nikki) by Michitsuna no Haha. The Gossamer Years (Kagerō Nikki) (Michitsuna no Haha) — geography for Murasaki Shikibu
• Sarashina Nikki (As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams) by Sugawara no Takasue no Musume. Sarashina Nikki (As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams) (Sugawara no Takasue no Musume) — peer for Murasaki Shikibu

Who Murasaki Shikibu influenced

• Liza Dalby. Dalby wrote a fictionalized novel based on Murasaki Shikibu's life. (also via The Tale of Murasaki) “In her fictionalized account of Murasaki's life, The Tale of Murasaki: A Novel, Liza Dalby has Murasaki involved in a romance during her travels with her father to Echizen Province” (Wikipedia)
• Arthur Waley. Waley translated The Tale of Genji into English. (via The Tale of Genji, The Tale of Genji (English translation)) “When Waley's translation (The Tale of Genji: A Novel in Six Parts) was published in 1933, reviewers compared Genji to Austen, Proust, and Shakespeare” (Wikipedia)
• The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby (2000). The Tale of Murasaki (Liza Dalby) — legacy for Murasaki Shikibu “In her fictionalized account of Murasaki's life, The Tale of Murasaki: A Novel, Liza Dalby has Murasaki involved in a romance during her travels with her father to Echizen Province.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Tosa Mitsuoki. Tosa Mitsuoki created artworks depicting Murasaki Shikibu. “Tosa Mitsuoki made her the subject of hanging scrolls in the 17th century” (Wikipedia)
• Kanō Takanobu. Kanō Takanobu created a depiction of Murasaki Shikibu. “Late 16th-century (Azuchi–Momoyama period) depiction of Murasaki Shikibu, by Kanō Takanobu” (Wikipedia)
• Suzuki Harunobu. Harunobu depicted Murasaki Shikibu in an ukiyo-e print. “Murasaki shown writing at her desk at Ishiyama-dera inspired by the Moon, ukiyo-e by Suzuki Harunobu, c. 1767” (Wikipedia)
• Kumazawa Banzan. Banzan wrote a commentary praising The Tale of Genji. (via The Tale of Genji) “In 1673, Kumazawa Banzan argued that her writing was valuable for its sensitivity and depiction of emotions. He wrote in his Discursive Commentary on Genji that when "human feelings are not understood the harmony of the Five Human Relati…” (Wikipedia)
• Yashima Gakutei. Yashima Gakutei created artwork depicting Murasaki composing The Tale of Genji. (via The Tale of Genji) “Murasaki Shikibu composing The Tale of Genji, by Yashima Gakutei (1786–1868)” (Wikipedia)
• Utamaro. Utamaro illustrated editions of The Tale of Genji. (via The Tale of Genji) “The Tale of Genji became a favorite subject of Japanese ukiyo-e artists for centuries with artists such as Hiroshige, Kiyonaga, and Utamaro illustrating various editions of the novel” (Wikipedia)
• Hiroshige. Hiroshige illustrated editions of The Tale of Genji. (via The Tale of Genji) “The Tale of Genji became a favorite subject of Japanese ukiyo-e artists for centuries with artists such as Hiroshige, Kiyonaga, and Utamaro illustrating various editions of the novel” (Wikipedia)
• Kanō Tan'yū. Kanō Tan'yū painted screens depicting scenes from Genji. (via The Tale of Genji) “Prince Toshitada received a pair of silk genji-e screens, painted by Kanō Tan'yū as a wedding gift in 1649” (Wikipedia)
• Tosa Mitsunobu. Tosa Mitsunobu created a painted album based on The Tale of Genji. (via The Tale of Genji) “A Genji Album, only in the 1970s dated to 1510, is housed at Harvard University. The album is considered the earliest of its kind and consists of 54 paintings by Tosa Mitsunobu” (Wikipedia)
• Kiyonaga. Kiyonaga illustrated editions of The Tale of Genji. (via The Tale of Genji) “The Tale of Genji became a favorite subject of Japanese ukiyo-e artists for centuries with artists such as Hiroshige, Kiyonaga, and Utamaro illustrating various editions of the novel” (Wikipedia)
• Fujiwara no Teika. Teika published and anthologized Murasaki's poetry collection. (via Poetic Memoirs) “Murasaki's poems were published in 1206 by Fujiwara no Teika, in what Mulhern believes to be the collection that is closest to the original form” (Wikipedia)
• The Makioka Sisters (Sasameyuki) by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (1948). The Makioka Sisters (Sasameyuki) (Jun'ichirō Tanizaki) — legacy for Murasaki Shikibu