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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1775

The Poetress Murasaki Shikibu under the Moon

Katsukawa Shunshō · c. 1775

A woodblock print from a famous poetry anthology, showing Murasaki Shikibu with her poem about the moon.

Shows Murasaki Shikibu honoured as a poet in a famous anthology of one hundred poets.

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Color woodblock print of a seated court woman in layered robes with a long dark hair, leaning on her hand, with a fan-like patterned hem spread at lower left. Japanese calligraphy in black runs down the left and top right, with the name Murasaki Shikibu at left and the sheet number 廿九 at bottom right.
Katsukawa Shunshō, The Poetress Murasaki Shikibu under the Moon, from One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets, c. 1775.

About this source

What it is

This color woodblock print, made around 1775 by the Japanese artist Katsukawa Shunshō, comes from the illustrated book One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets. It shows a seated court woman with calligraphy including Murasaki Shikibu's name.

Why it matters

Murasaki Shikibu was remembered not only as a novelist but as a poet, and this print places her among the most celebrated poets of Japan in a widely copied anthology. It shows how her image and poetry continued to circulate in popular print culture long after her lifetime.

Look closer

  • What does the calligraphy on the print tell us, and can you find her name?
  • Why would publishers include her poem in a book honouring one hundred poets?
  • How does this printed image differ from a realistic portrait?

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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