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Secondary sourcePainting1573

Portrait of Murasaki Shikibu

Kanō Takanobu · 1573

A Momoyama-period painted portrait imagining Murasaki Shikibu, made centuries after she lived.

A later imagined portrait honouring Murasaki Shikibu's reputation long after her death.

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Painting of a seated woman in traditional Japanese court dress with long dark hair, layered robes in beige, white, red and patterned orange, on a green floor beside a small red box and a white paper, against a brown background with a folding screen with calligraphy at upper right.
Kanō Takanobu, Portrait of Murasaki Shikibu, 1573.

About this source

What it is

This painting, made in 1573 by the Japanese artist Kanō Takanobu, shows a seated woman in traditional court dress identified as Murasaki Shikibu, in elaborate layered robes beside a folding screen with calligraphy.

Why it matters

Murasaki Shikibu lived in the Heian period, more than 550 years before this portrait was painted. It shows how deeply later Japanese culture honoured her as a model of courtly refinement and literary skill, even though no true likeness of her survives.

Look closer

  • What clues in the clothing and setting suggest high status and courtly elegance?
  • Why might an artist centuries later choose to paint someone they never saw?
  • What does the calligraphy screen in the background suggest about her reputation?

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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