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Sarashina Nikki

Sugawara no Takasue no musume

A memoir by a Heian court lady describing her longing for and eventual reading of the complete Tale of Genji, showing how Murasaki's novel spread soon after it was written.

Describes a young reader's longing for and joy at reading the complete Tale of Genji, showing the novel's early circulation.

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Handwritten Japanese cursive calligraphy in black ink on white paper, written in vertical columns, showing a passage in kana script. The strokes are bold and fluid, resembling a calligraphic copy of a classical text.
Sugawara no Takasue no musume, Sarashina Nikki (calligraphic copy).

About this source

What it is

The Sarashina Diary is a memoir written by the daughter of Sugawara no Takasue, a lady-in-waiting in Heian Japan. It records her life from childhood into her fifties, including her travels and her deep attachment to literature.

Why it matters

As a girl, the author longed to read the Tale of Genji and rejoiced when given a complete copy. Her account shows that Murasaki's novel was already being read and treasured within a generation of its writing.

Look closer

  • What does her excitement about getting a complete copy of Genji tell you about how books were shared and copied at this time?
  • Why might reading tales have felt dangerous or distracting to a Heian woman's spiritual life?
  • What is left out of her memoir that you might expect a modern diary to include?

This diary entry 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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Fragment of a decorated handscroll page with black calligraphic Japanese script running in vertical columns on gold-flecked paper with dark green and gold scattered patches and faint grass-like brushstrokes. A printed caption in the lower right reads in Japanese.Book

Primary source

The Tale of Genji

Murasaki Shikibu · c. 1010

Open double-page spread of a Japanese manuscript with gold and silver flecks scattered on brown-orange and dark mauve paper. Black cursive kana calligraphy runs in vertical columns on both pages.Book

Primary source

Kokin Wakashū

Ki no Tsurayuki and compilers · c. 905-920

Diary entry

Primary source

The Diary of Lady Murasaki

Murasaki Shikibu · c. 1008–1010

Scan of a page of handwritten Japanese cursive calligraphy in brown ink on pale paper, written in vertical columns. This is the final part of the Tosa Nikki diary, copied by Fujiwara no Teika in the 13th century.Diary entry

Primary source

Tosa Nikki

Ki no Tsurayuki · 935 (copy 13th century)

Photograph of the front cover of a Japanese book bound in pale green-grey paper. A vertical cream label on the cover bears brush-written Japanese characters and a small seal-like stamp appears at lower left. A color calibration chart and a metric ruler are along the edges of the image.Book

Secondary source

Eiri Genji Monogatari

Yamamoto Shunshō · 1650

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