Who they were
A court lady who served Empress Shoshi, daughter of the regent Fujiwara no Michinaga. Her real name is unknown: “Murasaki” comes from her heroine, “Shikibu” from her father’s office. She knew Chinese literature unusually well for a woman of her day — by tradition, her father let her study alongside her brother.
What they did
She wrote the Tale of Genji, 54 chapters following the radiant prince Genji and his world. The tale was in circulation by about 1008 and is often called the world’s first novel. Her diary and a poetry collection also survive.
Legacy
Her work stands as the summit of Heian literature. Genji’s aesthetic of mono no aware shaped Japanese art, and she now appears on the reverse of the 2,000-yen note.