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Secondary sourcePainting17th century

Murasaki Shikibu composing Genji Monogatari

Tosa Mitsuoki · 17th century

A later painting on silk showing Murasaki Shikibu seated at a writing desk with scrolls, ink and brush, the standard image of her composing the Tale of Genji.

The standard, widely used portrait of Murasaki Shikibu, though painted centuries after she lived.

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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.
Tosa Mitsuoki, Murasaki Shikibu composing Genji Monogatari, 17th century.

About this source

What it is

This is a painting on silk by Tosa Mitsuoki (1617-1691), showing a court woman seated at a low writing desk surrounded by robes, scrolls, an inkstone and a brush box.

Why it matters

This image became the standard way Murasaki Shikibu is pictured, showing her at work on the Tale of Genji. It was painted centuries after she lived, so it reflects how later generations imagined her rather than how she actually looked.

Look closer

  • What details in the painting suggest she is a writer — look at the desk, scrolls and writing tools.
  • Since this was painted hundreds of years after Murasaki's lifetime, what parts of it might be imagined rather than historically accurate?
  • Why do you think this particular image became the standard portrait used to represent her?

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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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

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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

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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

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