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Secondary sourcePainting17th century

Portrait-Icon of Murasaki Shikibu

Tosa Mitsuoki · 17th century

A 17th-century hanging scroll painting imagining Murasaki Shikibu pausing in thought before writing, with poems and Buddhist teachings inscribed around her.

This famous later portrait shaped how Murasaki Shikibu has been remembered as both writer and sage.

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Hanging scroll painting of a woman in a dark-blue patterned robe reclining on red and green cushions beside a low writing desk stacked with books. Her long black hair falls forward and she gazes upward. Calligraphy in black ink appears on paper at the top of the scroll.
Tosa Mitsuoki, Portrait-Icon of Murasaki Shikibu, 17th century.

About this source

What it is

This hanging scroll painting by Tosa Mitsuoki, made in the 17th century, shows Murasaki Shikibu seated beside a writing desk stacked with books, her head tilted upward as if in thought. Inscriptions around the image list stages of Buddhist contemplation she was said to have mastered, along with two of her poems about life's impermanence.

Why it matters

Painted centuries after her death, this portrait reflects how later generations imagined and revered Murasaki Shikibu, not just as a novelist but as a spiritually wise figure. It blends her literary legacy with Buddhist ideals valued in the artist's own time.

Look closer

  • Why might the artist choose to show her pausing in thought rather than actively writing?
  • What do the inscribed poems and Buddhist references suggest about how she was remembered?
  • How might this image differ from how Murasaki Shikibu actually looked in life?

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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