Murasaki Shikibu, Woodblock Print by Yoshitoshi

What it is

This woodblock print, made in 1876 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, shows 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. Vertical text and a title cartouche appear in the upper area.

Why it matters

Made almost 850 years after Murasaki Shikibu's lifetime, this print belongs to the Meiji period, when traditional Japanese culture and historical figures were often revisited in art. It shows her continuing importance as a symbol of Japanese literature even as Japan was rapidly modernizing.

Look closer

• What mood is created by showing her hair covering her face?
• Why might an artist in the 1870s choose to depict a writer from centuries earlier?
• What does the writing desk and scroll suggest about how she is remembered?