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Secondary sourcePainting1795

Rokkasen: Murasaki with Five Elderly Poets

1795

An Edo-period woodblock print showing Murasaki Shikibu among five wise men and poets, reflecting her lasting fame.

Shows Murasaki Shikibu grouped with celebrated poets and sages, reflecting her enduring literary fame.

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Japanese woodblock print on pale paper: a woman in a purple kimono with cherry-blossom pattern lies or reclines in the upper center, with a fan nearby. Five men in robes surround her: a bald man in a white robe at right, a man in green patterned robes at lower right, a man in grey robes at right, a kneeling bald man in grey at lower left, and a man in white robes at left. Calligraphy signature appears at upper right.
Rokkasen: Murasaki with Five Elderly Poets, woodblock print, 1795. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This color woodblock print, made in 1795, shows a woman identified as Murasaki Shikibu surrounded by five elderly men described as wise men and poets. It is held by the Library of Congress as part of its collection of Japanese prints.

Why it matters

By the Edo period, Murasaki Shikibu was remembered as one of Japan's great literary figures, placed here alongside celebrated poets and sages. This reflects her lasting reputation centuries after she wrote her famous work.

Look closer

  • Why might an artist group Murasaki with these men rather than showing her alone?
  • What might the poses and clothing of the figures suggest about their status?
  • What does this grouping suggest about how later generations ranked her among respected poets?

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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