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Tertiary sourceBook1920

Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

1920

A 1920 English translation that introduced Murasaki Shikibu's diary, along with other Heian court women's diaries, to Western readers.

Introduced Murasaki Shikibu's diary to English-speaking readers for the first time.

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About this source

What it is

This is an English translation, published in 1920, of several diaries written by Heian-period Japanese court ladies, including Murasaki Shikibu's own diary.

Why it matters

Before this translation, Murasaki's diary was not widely known outside Japan. This book was one of the first to bring her personal writing, and that of other court women, to English-speaking readers, shaping how the Western world first learned about her.

Look closer

  • Why might translating a text change how later readers understand the original author?
  • What might be gained or lost when a diary written in 11th-century Japan is translated into English nearly 900 years later?
  • Why do you think translators chose to publish several court ladies' diaries together?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Murasaki Shikibu on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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