Murasaki Shikibu

The story, in brief.

Murasaki Shikibu, or Shijo , was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period. She was best known as the author of The Tale of Genji, widely considered to be one of the world's first novels, written in Japanese between about 1000 and 1012. Murasaki Shikibu is a descriptive name; her personal name is unknown, but she may have been Fujiwara no Kaoruko (藤原香子), who was mentioned in a 1007 court diary as an imperial lady-in-waiting.

Introduction from Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full biography ↗

A life in milestones.

Selected records from Wikidata. Ages are approximate; “c.” marks uncertain dates. This is a starting point for exploration, not a complete life history.

This edition has life dates for Murasaki Shikibu; more sourced milestones are still to be added.

1. 970s
   Life

   Born in Heian-kyō

   View record ↗
2. 11th century
   Life

   Death

   View record ↗