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Portrait of Murasaki Shikibu

AI Historical Figure

Murasaki Shikibu

Picture by Tosa Mitsuoki (1617 - 1691)  Public domain  Wikimedia Commons

Japanese novelist and poet

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Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu

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Also in German (Austria), German (Switzerland), English (UK), English (Australia), English (Canada).

The sources behind this AI

89 sources · 38 paintings · 37 books · 7 photographs · 5 diary entries · 1 sculpture · 1 artifact

Murasaki Shikibu doesn’t improvise from thin air. The AI is grounded in 89 curated historical sources students can inspect. Open any of them to see what informs the conversation.

Fragment of a decorated handscroll page with black calligraphic Japanese script running in vertical columns on gold-flecked paper with dark green and gold scattered patches and faint grass-like brushstrokes. A printed caption in the lower right reads in Japanese.Book

Primary source

The Tale of Genji

Murasaki Shikibu · c. 1010

Open double-page spread of a Japanese manuscript with gold and silver flecks scattered on brown-orange and dark mauve paper. Black cursive kana calligraphy runs in vertical columns on both pages.Book

Primary source

Kokin Wakashū

Ki no Tsurayuki and compilers · c. 905-920

Diary entry

Primary source

The Diary of Lady Murasaki

Murasaki Shikibu · c. 1008–1010

Scan of a page of handwritten Japanese cursive calligraphy in brown ink on pale paper, written in vertical columns. This is the final part of the Tosa Nikki diary, copied by Fujiwara no Teika in the 13th century.Diary entry

Primary source

Tosa Nikki

Ki no Tsurayuki · 935 (copy 13th century)

Photograph of the front cover of a Japanese book bound in pale green-grey paper. A vertical cream label on the cover bears brush-written Japanese characters and a small seal-like stamp appears at lower left. A color calibration chart and a metric ruler are along the edges of the image.Book

Secondary source

Eiri Genji Monogatari

Yamamoto Shunshō · 1650

A long horizontal handscroll of calligraphy on multiple panels of differently colored paper, including grey-blue, pale yellow, pink, and deep red sheets, with brushed columns of Japanese text running across the whole length.Book

Primary source

Wakan Rōeishū

Fujiwara no Kintō · c. 1013

A painted scene in a traditional Japanese illustrated scroll style. On the upper right, a woman in layered robes and a gilded canopied carriage ride on a cloud of swirling white mist, surrounded by attendant women. On the lower left, a seated man in black robes sits on a veranda beside a woman in red and white garments. On the lower right, several figures in armor and helmets sit on a rooftop and veranda, and green pine branches appear in the foreground.Book

Secondary source

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

late 9th or early 10th century (sometimes dated c. 909)

A painted and calligraphed handscroll page on pale beige paper. Three deer are painted in ink and muted brown wash on the right, with vertical Japanese calligraphy columns beside them and additional calligraphy on the left side.Book

Secondary source

Shin Kokin Wakashū

Fujiwara no Yoshitsune · 1205

Book

Secondary source

Blue Trousers

Murasaki Shikibu · 1925-1933 (translation)

Book

Primary source

The Tale of Genji (Suematsu translation, LibriVox reading)

Murasaki Shikibu · early 11th century (text); recording made recently

Illustrated playing card with a woman in a purple robe reclining on red and yellow bedding, with a long-haired figure and a white fan-like sleeve. Black brush calligraphy in Japanese runs down the upper right.Book

Secondary source

Hyakunin Isshu

Fujiwara no Teika · c. 1300

Painted illustration on aged paper of a woman with long black hair seated among layered robes in pale yellow, red, and white patterns, with a folding screen or fan of blue-and-white floral panels beside her. Handwritten characters appear at the upper right.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu, Guimet Museum Object BG3566

Front cover of the 1928 book The Pillow-Book of Sei Shonagon, translated by Arthur Waley. Title in dark blue capitals over a tan background with red line-drawn pine branches. Blurb text in red describes the book as written nearly a thousand years ago by a woman famous for wit, poetry and lovers, and mentions Lady Murasaki's novel The Tale of Genji.Book

Primary source

The Pillow Book

Sei Shōnagon · 1002

Bronze statue of a seated robed woman with a hooded head, resting on a bench-like desk and holding a scroll that unrolls across the base, set on a granite pedestal with a bronze plaque in Japanese. Green shrubs and pink blossoming trees surround it.Sculpture

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu Statue at Ishiyamadera

nobu3withfoxy from Iga,Mie, Japan · 2014-03-29

A wooden signpost in a forest garden with a white sign showing a blue-toned statue of a seated robed woman writing on scrolls, with Japanese text above. Below, black brush characters read Murasaki Shikibu, and a red arrow points left.Photograph

Secondary source

Statue of Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyama-dera, Otsu

Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert · 27 June 2024

Hanging scroll painting of a woman in a dark-blue patterned robe reclining on red and green cushions beside a low writing desk stacked with books. Her long black hair falls forward and she gazes upward. Calligraphy in black ink appears on paper at the top of the scroll.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait-Icon of Murasaki Shikibu

Tosa Mitsuoki · 17th century

Handwritten Japanese cursive calligraphy in black ink on white paper, written in vertical columns, showing a passage in kana script. The strokes are bold and fluid, resembling a calligraphic copy of a classical text.Diary entry

Primary source

Sarashina Nikki

Sugawara no Takasue no musume

Detail of a Japanese handscroll painting in traditional style: a wooden veranda with diagonal railings, a robed figure with long black hair seated near orange curtains, and a green-patterned screen with pine trees at upper left.Painting

Secondary source

Lady Murasaki at Ishiyamadera

Tosa Mitsunobu · 1497

Painting on silk of a court woman with long black hair seated at a low wooden writing desk on a green mat, surrounded by layered robes in green, red and floral patterned fabric. Scrolls lie on the desk and the floor, and an inkstone and brush box sit on the desk. Calligraphy inscription and red seal appear at lower left.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu composing Genji Monogatari

Tosa Mitsuoki · 17th century

Japanese illustrated playing card with a painted court woman in a purple robe with yellow and red trim, reclining at lower left beside white bedding. Black brush calligraphy in vertical columns fills the upper area on a cream background.Painting

Secondary source

Hyakunin Isshu Playing Card Showing Murasaki Shikibu

Edo period

Painting in soft colors on gold-toned ground. A pale wooden hall with a dark tiled roof sits on a raised veranda among pine trees and rocks. Inside, a seated figure in red and white robes writes at a low desk beside a green-framed screen. Hills and a river fill the background.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyama-dera

Tosa Mitsuoki · 17th century

Japanese woodblock print of a woman seated at a low red writing table on a pink veranda, gazing upward, with a brush and paper before her. Maple branches, a river with two boatmen, and a riverbank appear behind. Calligraphy and signature are in the margins.Painting

Secondary source

Lady Murasaki Writing at Ishiyama-dera

Suzuki Harunobu · 1767

A folding fan painting on gold leaf showing a Japanese court interior: a woman in layered robes reclines on a red lacquered platform beside a low table, with blinds and a folding screen, and a maple tree with reddish leaves at right.Painting

Secondary source

Lady Murasaki Paper Fan

anonymous · 17th century

Japanese woodblock print of a woman with long black hair hanging over her face, seated at a red desk beside a scroll and a lamp stand, wearing a patterned blue robe, with vertical text in the upper left and a red title cartouche.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu, Woodblock Print by Yoshitoshi

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi · 1876

Japanese woodblock print showing a woman lying on a patterned purple and green robe in the upper left, with four seated men around her in muted tones: two in dark robes on the right and left, one bald older man in grey-brown robes at lower left, and a man in a green patterned robe at lower right. Artist's signature appears at upper right.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu with Male Court Poets

Kitagawa Utamaro · between 1795 and 1806

Painted illustration in a Japanese Tale of Genji manuscript on gold-flecked paper: a courtier in dark robes sits on a veranda beside a woman in yellow robes inside, two women kneel on the veranda, two women sit on the snowy ground, and a pine tree with snow stands at left beside a stream and a pair of birds at right.Book

Secondary source

Tale of Genji Manuscript, Chester Beatty J 1038.1

Unknown · mid-17th century

Painting of a woman in a red and patterned kimono reclining on a mat on a wooden veranda, resting her head on her hand beside a low writing desk with an inkstone. Pine trees and blossoming cherry trees frame the scene, with a lake, boats, reeds, and distant hills behind.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu Composing the Tale of Genji at Ishiyamadera

Yashima Gakutei · 19th century

Triptych woodblock print. At left, a seated woman in a long robe rests on a wooden veranda railing, looking out over a wide blue lake with a bridge, boats with white sails, pine-covered shores, hills, and a full moon in the night sky.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyama Temple

Utagawa Hiroshige · c. 1855

Book

Secondary source

Chapter on the Genji Monogatari, A History of Japanese Literature

William George Aston · 1899

Book

Primary source

The Sacred Tree

Murasaki Shikibu · 1926

Book

Primary source

Genji Monogatari, Japanese Original Text

Murasaki Shikibu · 1890 edition

Book cover or endpaper of tan paper with a repeating pattern of blue-grey outlined diamonds and circular medallions containing fan-shaped and crescent-like floral motifs. A dark blue strip runs along the left edge.Book

Primary source

A Wreath of Cloud

Lady Murasaki

Japanese woodblock print of a seated woman in a salmon-colored kimono with red maple-leaf patterns, holding a yellow fan, with long black hair and a red-and-white layered robe beside her. Black calligraphy in Japanese runs across the top, and red seals appear at the lower left.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu, Woodblock Print by Komatsuken

Komatsuken · 1765

Japanese woodblock print showing a woman in a green and blue patterned robe seated at a low yellow desk, writing in an open book with a brush, an inkstone and water dropper nearby. Long black hair falls behind her. Red title cartouche and artist signatures appear at top and right.Painting

Secondary source

Lady Murasaki at her desk

Utagawa Kunisada · 1858

Book

Primary source

Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

Annie Shepley Omori · 1920

Diary entry

Primary source

The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu · Diary written A.D. 1007-1010; this translation 1920

Painting in gold-tinged muted colors of a wooden hall on stilts overlooking a lake and hills. Inside an open panel, a seated woman in layered robes writes at a low table with an inkstone. Pine trees and a rocky outcrop stand in the foreground, and gold clouds fill the sky.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu writing at Ishiyamadera

Tosa Mitsuoki

Diary entry

Primary source

The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu in Donald Keene's Anthology

Murasaki Shikibu · Diary c. early 11th century; this anthology 1955

Painting of a seated woman in traditional Japanese court dress with long dark hair, layered robes in beige, white, red and patterned orange, on a green floor beside a small red box and a white paper, against a brown background with a folding screen with calligraphy at upper right.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Murasaki Shikibu

Kanō Takanobu · 1573

Color woodblock print of a seated court woman in layered robes with a long dark hair, leaning on her hand, with a fan-like patterned hem spread at lower left. Japanese calligraphy in black runs down the left and top right, with the name Murasaki Shikibu at left and the sheet number 廿九 at bottom right.Painting

Secondary source

The Poetress Murasaki Shikibu under the Moon

Katsukawa Shunshō · c. 1775

Book

Primary source

The Sacred Tree

Murasaki Shikibu · 1926 (novel written c. early 11th century)

Hand-coloured woodblock print of a woman in a Heian-style robe reclining beside an orange-lacquered curtain or screen, with a full moon behind clouds at upper left and calligraphic poem text in black ink at right and top.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu, hand-coloured woodblock print

Attributed to Hishikawa Moronobu · c. 1670

Book

Primary source

A Wreath of Cloud, Chapter IX: The Flares

Murasaki Shikibu · 1927 (novel written c. early 11th century)

Japanese woodblock print on pale paper: a woman in a purple kimono with cherry-blossom pattern lies or reclines in the upper center, with a fan nearby. Five men in robes surround her: a bald man in a white robe at right, a man in green patterned robes at lower right, a man in grey robes at right, a kneeling bald man in grey at lower left, and a man in white robes at left. Calligraphy signature appears at upper right.Painting

Secondary source

Rokkasen: Murasaki with Five Elderly Poets

1795

Book

Primary source

Poem 57 by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Porter

Murasaki Shikibu (translated by William Ninnis Porter) · 1909

A lacquered wooden storage box with three drawers and a decorated top, beside an open manuscript on the right with handwritten Japanese script on paper pages. A black lacquer tray with a fitted inner section sits in front, and a lacquered panel with painted pine branches leans against the box.Book

Secondary source

Genji Kawachibon Manuscripts

Cover of a Japanese woodblock-printed book with dark blue paper wrapping, worn and stained, with a cream label on the front bearing black brush-written Japanese characters and a small kana reading. The book is bound with gold-colored cord along the right edge.Book

Secondary source

The Tale of Genji: Commentary on Key Words and Phrases

1654

Book

Tertiary source

Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

1920

Front cover of a Japanese woodblock-printed book with dark blue-grey paper cover, worn at edges, with a pale rectangular label bearing vertical black brush-written characters reading Genji keizu zu, and stitched binding on the right side.Book

Secondary source

The Tale of Genji: Genealogy

1654

Book

Secondary source

A History of Japanese Literature

William George Aston · 1899

Dust jacket of the book The Sacred Tree by Lady Murasaki, translated by Arthur Waley, published by Houghton Mifflin. The spine reads The Tale of Genji Part II and shows a ship in an oval. The front cover has a framed line drawing of a courtier seated in a veranda beside a carriage, with a pine tree in the foreground.Book

Tertiary source

The Sacred Tree

Arthur Waley · 1925–1933

Cover of a Japanese woodblock-printed book bound in blue-grey paper, with a cream label on the front bearing two lines of handwritten black Japanese characters running vertically. Gold thread binding is visible on the right edge.Book

Secondary source

The Tale of Genji: A Sequel

1654

Book

Secondary source

Japanese Literature, Chapter 4: The Japanese Novel

1955

Front cover of a Japanese woodblock-printed book with dark blue patterned paper covering, a vertical cream-colored title label bearing brush-written Japanese characters, and yellowed binding threads along the right edge.Book

Secondary source

The Tale of Genji: Index

1654

Book

Primary source

Hyakunin Isshu in English, translated by Yone Noguchi

Murasaki Shikibu (translated by Yone Noguchi) · 1907

Cover of a Japanese book with dark blue cloth or paper covering, a tan rectangular title label on the upper left with black brush characters, a Library of Congress-style white label with red and black marks on the upper right, and orange thread binding on the right edge.Book

Secondary source

The Tale of Genji, Keicho-era Movable-Type Edition

between 1596 and 1615

Front cover of a Japanese woodblock-printed book with blue-gray paper covering and a cream title label bearing brush-written Japanese characters reading Genji monogatari and the volume note 一巻 (volume one). Stitched binding visible at right edge.Book

Secondary source

The Tale of Genji: Volumes 1-54

Murasaki Shikibu · 1654

A painted page from an illustrated handscroll of The Tale of Genji. On the left, three court women in layered robes stand on a snowy garden path beside a pine tree, with a pair of mandarin ducks on a pond below. On the right, a seated woman with long black hair, in a red and patterned robe, sits behind a lattice screen on a wooden veranda. Japanese calligraphy text runs down the margins on both sides of the scroll.Painting

Secondary source

Illustrated Handscrolls of The Tale of Genji by Ryūjo

Ryūjo · 1594

Decorative printed title frame: a black-and-white border of diamond lattice patterns and stylized flowers surrounds a blank central panel, with a small red flower motif at the centre of the panel.Book

Secondary source

Title frame of The Tale of Genji, Arthur Waley translation

Arthur Waley · 1925

Painting of a woman with long black hair in layered multicolored silk robes with patterned sleeves, green and yellow stripes, red hakama, and blue-and-white patterned trains spread on the floor, holding a fan. Pale background.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu in Jūnihitoe Robes

Unknown · 10th century (uncertain)

Hanging scroll painting in colour on silk: a pale full moon in a dusky golden sky above a seated woman in layered robes writing at a low black lacquer table, with an ink stone and paper, beside a folding screen decorated with autumn plants.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu painting by Satake Eikai

Satake Eikai · late Edo period

Black-and-white woodblock print in a Japanese style. A man in a patterned kimono sits on a raised floor reading an open book on a low writing stand, beside a lacquered box and an ink stone on the wooden floor, with shoji screen and hanging tassel behind. Vertical inscriptions and seals appear at left.Painting

Secondary source

Parody of Murasaki Shikibu at Her Desk

Okumura Masanobu · circa 1710

Painted illustration on tan paper of a court woman with long black hair seated among layered white and patterned fabric, reading a scroll, with a black lacquer box with gold decoration beside her and a red box below. Handwritten Japanese calligraphy in black ink runs down both sides.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu Print, BnF Japonais 5341

A fan-shaped painting on gold-toned ground showing a woman in layered robes reclining on a low table-like surface beside a wooden railing and blinds, with a flowering or autumn-leaved tree at right. Mounted on a white matte.Painting

Secondary source

Lady Murasaki, Tosa School Painting

Black-and-white woodblock print of a woman in a patterned kimono seated on a wooden veranda, resting her chin on her hand and gazing outward. A small table holds an inkstone box, papers, and a flowering branch in a vase. Beyond the veranda, a boat and waves, and in the upper right, figures and a hillside with pine trees appear within a cartouche with calligraphy and a signature seal.Painting

Secondary source

A Stylish Suma: Lady Murasaki Shikibu

Okumura Masanobu · early 1720s

Woodblock print of a seated woman in a patterned robe with long black hair, holding an open book on her lap. A stack of books sits on a low lacquered table with an inkstone, beside a round silver moon in a pale sky. Vertical Japanese text and a red seal appear.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu, Four Companions of the Writing Studio

Yashima Gakutei · c. 1827

Hand-colored woodblock print of Murasaki Shikibu seated with her face turned slightly, wearing a patterned kimono with gold clouds, beside an orange fan-shaped screen and a round tray; Japanese calligraphy runs vertically across the upper right and center.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu, from One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets

c. 1670

A life-size doll display of Murasaki Shikibu seated at a low black writing desk, wearing layered silk kimono in lavender, red and grey patterns, with long black hair and a pale painted face. She holds a brush and a rolled paper is at her right. Behind her, a smaller seated figure in green robes stands in a dim room with a patterned silk curtain.Artifact

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu Display at Ishiyama-dera

Woodblock print of a woman in a grey kimono with iris pattern, holding a brush, standing before an open book showing a scene of a figure lying under bedding and columns of text. Signed with a red seal and calligraphy.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu, Poem 57, Azuma Nishiki-e

Utagawa Kunisada

Grayscale photograph of a page of handwritten Japanese manuscript in cursive kana, written in vertical columns on aged paper, with small interlinear annotations in smaller script between some lines.Photograph

Secondary source

Photograph of the Kaneko Kiritsubo Chapter

Kaneko Motoomi · 1930

Woodblock print of a woman with long black hair, seated at a gold lacquer writing desk with an inkstone and brush, gazing upward. She wears a dark patterned robe over layered patterned garments. A cloud band is above, and a text panel with Japanese characters and the title Murasaki Shikibu is at upper left. Signature and seal at lower right.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu, from Honcho Imeijo Zukan

Utagawa Kunisada

Black-and-white photograph of a page of cursive Japanese handwriting in ink on aged paper, with vertical columns of kana text. This is a photographic reproduction of the Hirase Kiritsubo manuscript page.Photograph

Secondary source

Photograph of the Hirase Kiritsubo Chapter

金子元臣 · 1930

Photograph of a page of cursive Japanese handwritten text in black ink on a pale background, arranged in vertical columns, reproduced from a printed book.Photograph

Secondary source

Photograph of the Kan-ei Woodblock Kochō Chapter

金子元臣 · 1930

A hanging scroll painting with blue silk mounting and a brown brocade border. The image shows a woman in a dark robe seated on a wooden veranda beside a pillar, with a paper lantern hanging at left and misty mountains behind a railing.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyamadera Temple

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi · ca. 1892

Photograph of a handwritten page in Japanese brush cursive script, arranged in vertical columns of ink on pale paper with a grey border. A small inked mark appears near the middle of the page.Photograph

Secondary source

Photograph of the Nijō Tameaki Asagao Chapter

金子元臣 · 1930

Black-and-white photograph of a page of handwritten Japanese cursive calligraphy in vertical columns on aged paper, read right to left. The page shows the Suma chapter of the Genji tale in the Saga-bon style.Photograph

Secondary source

Photograph of the Saga-bon Suma Chapter

金子元臣 · 1930

Painted page from a Japanese manuscript in the Edo style: an orange-robed nobleman sits on a checkered floor under a blue-tiled roof beside a pine tree, while a woman in a white robe sits on a green mat at right, a man in a dark patterned robe sits at right, a green-draped lacquered screen stands at lower left with a seated attendant, and a figure in a blue robe appears at bottom center. Gold flecks decorate the paper margins.Book

Secondary source

Paulownia Court Chapter Manuscript from The Tale of Genji

Unknown Edo period artist · 17th century

Black-and-white photograph of a handwritten page in Japanese cursive kana script, arranged in vertical columns on pale, aged paper. The brush-written characters are dark and flowing, with a small mark at the upper right.Photograph

Secondary source

Photograph of the Keicho Woodblock Tamakazura Chapter

金子元臣 · 1930

Portion of brushed calligraphy text on paper decorated with a cherry tree seen through clouds, from the Wisps of Cloud chapter of The Tale of Genji.Book

Secondary source

Calligraphy of the Wisps of Cloud Chapter of The Tale of Genji

1600s-1700s

Detail of a painted scroll: a man in a hat and grey patterned robe stands in a boat, holding a red-tipped pole. A woman in dark robes is seen at the boat's far end. Pale architecture and dark water surround them.Painting

Secondary source

Murasaki Shikibu Diary Scroll (Fujita Version)

Painted handscroll of the Tale of Genji style on gold-leaf ground: a gilded palace-like structure with a green-blue carriage area at center, a veiled woman in orange robes standing, a woman in red kneeling, and a group of seated courtiers in black, grey and green robes below, with monks in black and white robes at upper right.Painting

Secondary source

Leaves of Wild Ginger (Aoi), Phantom Genji Scrolls

mid-17th century

Painted illustration with gold leaf borders showing courtiers in a riverboat procession on grey water with white wave lines, at upper right. At lower left, three women in layered robes sit on a green-floored veranda beside a bamboo blind. Red maple trees and flowers appear at right.Book

Secondary source

The Small Mirror of Genji

1600

Open book showing handwritten cursive Japanese text in vertical columns on the left page, and on the right page a woodblock print of a courtly scene: a robed figure on a veranda near a lattice railing, with clouds and a distant town, and a second figure beside a screen.Book

Secondary source

The Illustrated Tale of Genji

Yamamoto Shunshō · ca. 1650

Open page spread of a Japanese woodblock-printed book. Left page has columns of vertical cursive text beside an illustration of a seated figure in dark robes near a screen. Right page shows two seated figures in a room with patterned walls, one holding a fan, with calligraphy and a small pine motif above.Book

Secondary source

Ehon Genji Monogatari

Terai Shosen · January 1751

Horizontal Japanese painting on a gold-leaf ground showing a long, multi-level palace building in cutaway view, with green-roofed galleries and rooms holding seated figures in colorful robes. Pine trees frame the left and right edges, and small figures stand on the lower walkways.Painting

Secondary source

A Branch of Sacred Evergreen (Sakaki), Phantom Genji Scrolls

mid-17th century

Detail of a Heian-period painted handscroll in gold-toned background: two figures seated on a veranda under green-patterned railings, one in grey robes holding a fan, the other in pale robes; diagonal wooden architecture and a sparse plant at left.Painting

Secondary source

Genji Emaki, Yadorigi Chapter Scene

Imperial court painters, Kyoto (traditionally attributed to Fujiwara Takayoshi) · 12th century, c. 1130

A six-panel gold-leaf folding screen painting. Gold clouds and mist fill the scene. Figures in courtly robes sit on wooden verandas and in a boat near a pavilion, with pine trees and rocks visible. Scattered butterflies and flowers appear in the middle.Painting

Secondary source

Butterflies (Kochō) from The Tale of Genji

Tosa Mitsuyoshi · late 16th–early 17th century

A gold-leaf two-panel screen painting of a Japanese landscape with green hills, stylized gold clouds, blossoming cherry trees, and a pine. Courtly figures in robes sit on the ground in the foreground, some with a seated figure in gray and others in white and red.Painting

Secondary source

Genji Monogatari Two-Panel Screen

attributed to Tosa Mitsuyoshi · 16th or early 17th century

Six-panel folding screen painting on gold leaf: a gold landscape with green pine trees, a white curving path, an ox-drawn carriage with green roof, robed courtiers, a small boat with a red-roofed cabin at top right, and a torii-like gate at left.Painting

Secondary source

Sekiya and Miotsukushi Chapters of The Tale of Genji

Tawaraya Sōtatsu · 1631

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“We enjoyed the program last year and used it frequently.”
“My students say it’s a welcome change of pace. I’m not a fan of the “sage on the stage” model, so I try to incorporate research-oriented and self-paced activities. With Humy, students have to take charge of their learning. They’ve become more adept at critical thinking, forming better questions, and improving their reading comprehension. The interview feature has been my go-to tool. I create assignments where students must ask historical figures a set number of questions, then summarize the responses to ensure they’re truly absorbing the material. This approach lets them actively explore the past rather than passively consuming information.”
“Humy has helped me bring historical figures, sometimes long past, to life. When my students interact with these figures in real-time, it eliminates some of the perceived “ancient” characteristics of my curriculum. This has shifted my students’ thinking away from viewing history as abstract or irrelevant. Real-time interactions make historical figures relatable, even allowing students to ask off-topic questions that help put historical lives in a more relevant context for 13-year-olds. The feature I use the most is the interview feature. After teaching a topic, most recently Gandhi and Joan of Arc, I have the students ask pointed, focused questions. We practice good conversation techniques beforehand, teaching them to listen (or read) carefully and formulate thoughtful follow-up questions rather than just interrogating. It helps students practice effective conversation skills.”
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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Who is Murasaki Shikibu?
Japanese novelist and poet On Humy.ai you can chat with an AI version of Murasaki Shikibu that draws on a short biography and selected historical sources during the conversation — by text or voice, in 50+ languages.
How historically accurate is the AI version of Murasaki Shikibu?
Each figure uses a short biography and a small set of selected historical sources as context (retrieval-augmented generation), so answers stay closer to known material than the model's general knowledge alone. It isn't a citation-grade research tool — like any LLM, the AI can get details wrong or extrapolate. Treat it as a strong starting point for inquiry and cross-reference important claims.
Can I talk to Murasaki Shikibu by voice?
Yes. In addition to text chat, you can call Murasaki Shikibu and hear their voice respond in real time — useful for auditory learners, interview practice and Socratic dialogue.
Is Humy.ai free to try?
Yes. A free account includes 20 messages a month with the free library's figures, and teacher tools draw on the same messages. No credit card is needed.
Is Humy.ai safe and compliant for schools?
Yes. Humy.ai is used by more than 100 schools, universities and organisations. The platform is FERPA- and GDPR-aligned, supports SSO, and offers an IT-approval pack tailored for school procurement teams.

Cross-reference Murasaki Shikibu

Like any LLM, the AI version of Murasaki Shikibu can get details wrong. Open one of these sources in a new tab to verify what you’ve read.

Wikipedia

Encyclopedia article

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Britannica

Editor-reviewed reference

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World History Encyclopedia

Academic articles & primary sources

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Muriel Rukeyser

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Muriel Spark

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Murilo Rubião

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