To the Luminous Kimi” Sei Shonagon is cheerful and Murasaki Shikibu is negative? Surprising episodes of the great writers of the Heian period

The era of women writers represented by Sei Shonagon and Murasaki Shikibu was one of the most glamorous in the literature of the Heian period. After stopping the Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty, Japan successfully digested Chinese culture, which it had been increasingly adopting, and transformed it into something distinctively Japanese in the national style culture. The same was true in literature, as the development of kana script made it easier for the Japanese to express their unique emotions, and stories and essays were written, and it was in this context that these women appeared.”

The 2012 NHK historical drama “Hikaru Kimi e” will be based on Murasaki Shikibu, and Atsushi Kawai, a historical researcher and writer, speaks of such female Heian-era writers as follows.

In his book, “Heian no Bungo” (The Great Writers of the Heian Period) (Poplar New Book), Kawai introduces not only “wives” and poets who served their queen at court, such as Sei Shonagon and Murasaki Shikibu, but also politicians and priests who left works that he considers “literature” during the approximately 400 years of the Heian period. Their works include waka poetry collections, diaries, stories, encyclopedias, travelogues, and more. We asked Mr. Kawai about the true faces of these “literary giants.

In those days, reading and writing were limited to aristocrats, priests, and others with a high level of knowledge. They were familiar with the Chinese classics from a young age, and this was considered to be their culture. Until the early Heian period, texts were basically written in Chinese, and the aristocrats of that time could even communicate with Chinese people in writing.

In what kind of situations was writing, which was only available to a very limited number of people, practiced?

For example, a “diary” was not only for recording, but also for writing down various court ceremonies and events so that they could be passed on to descendants. Since precedent was very important in those days, it was an important record of what our ancestors did and how they did it. Diaries were passed down from generation to generation, and in some cases were sold or bought.

In contrast, “stories” were for entertainment. However, most women’s literature was written by women serving the emperor, empress, and aristocrats, who were called “wench” during the regal government. Besides that, there were travelogues, encyclopedias, and many other genres.”