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Definition
The Pillow Book
The Pillow Book (Makura no Soshi) is a personalised account of life at the Japanese court by Sei Shonagon which she completed c. 1002 CE during the Heian Period. The book is full of humorous observations (okashi) written in the style of a...
Definition
Heian Period
The Heian Period of Japanese history covers 794 to 1185 CE and saw a great flourishing in Japanese culture from literature to paintings. Government and its administration came to be dominated by the Fujiwara clan who eventually were challenged...
Definition
Manyoshu
The Manyoshu or 'Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves' is an anthology of ancient Japanese poems compiled c. 759 CE during the Nara Period but including many earlier works. The most likely person to have assembled the collection is Otomo no...
Definition
Tale of Genji
The 'Tale of the Genji' or Genji Monogatari, written in the 11th century CE by Murasaki Shikibu, a court lady, is Japan's oldest novel and possibly the first novel in world literature. The classic of Japanese literature, the work describes...
Definition
Izumi Shikibu
Izumi Shikibu was a writer, poet, and member of the Japanese court during the Heian Period (794-1185 CE). Her birth date is variously given as sometime in the 970's CE, and she died in the 1030's CE. In her celebrated memoirs, known as the...
Image
Sei Shonagon
An illustration of Sei Shonagon, authoress of The Pillow Book, Japan, c. 1002 CE. (Edition of Hyakunin Isshu, Edo Period)
Video
Heian Literature and Japanese Court Women
This short lecture discusses about two of the most famous works of literature in Japanese history, both written by court women during the Heian period (794-1185CE): Murasaki Shikibu’s "The Tale of Genji" and Sei Shonagon’s "The Pillow Book"...
Video
The Japanese Heian Period: Court Women
This video explains how court women lived during the Heian period in Japan.
Video
Japan: Cultural History and the Heian Period
John Green describes the Heian period in Japan, lasting from 794CE to 1185CE. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu was the classic piece of literature of the day, detailing the elite, aristocratic culture of the Heian period.
Image
Celadon lion Pillow, Goryeo Dynasty
A celadon pillow in the form of two lions. 12th century CE, Goryeo Dynasty, Korea. (Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea)
