Murasaki Shikibu Diary Scroll (Fujita Version)

What it is

This is an illustrated scroll depicting scenes related to the Murasaki Shikibu Diary, designated a National Treasure and held in the Fujita Museum collection. This detail shows a man in a boat on water, with a woman seated at the boat's far end, against pale architecture.

Why it matters

Scrolls like this give a visual window into the court world that Murasaki Shikibu lived in and described in her diary, showing the clothing, architecture, and daily activities of Heian-period nobility. As a National Treasure, it reflects the high value Japan places on preserving records connected to her life and world.

Look closer

• What can you tell about the setting and activity from the figures' clothing and poses?
• Why might a scene on water have been chosen to illustrate the diary?
• What does the scroll's survival as a treasured object tell us about how Murasaki's writings have been valued?