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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1855

Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyama Temple

Utagawa Hiroshige · c. 1855

A triptych print showing Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyama temple, made centuries after she lived.

This later print places Murasaki Shikibu within a famous scenic view tied to her legend.

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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.
Utagawa Hiroshige, Murasaki Shikibu at Ishiyama Temple, c. 1855.

About this source

What it is

This three-panel woodblock print, made around 1855 by Utagawa Hiroshige, is part of a series called Eight Views of Omi Province as Seen from Ishiyama. It shows a seated woman looking over a lake toward hills and a full moon.

Why it matters

The print links Murasaki Shikibu to the famous landscape at Ishiyama temple, continuing a legend about where she composed her great novel. It shows how the writer became part of Japan's visual and poetic tradition long after her lifetime.

Look closer

  • What mood does the landscape create, and how does the figure fit into it?
  • Why might an artist combine a historical figure with a famous scenic view?
  • What does this print leave out about Murasaki's actual life and writing?

This painting 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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