The Heian period (794-1186AD) of Japanese history - the setting of The Tale of Genji - was an era of unsurpassed refinement in art and literature, in which women played a unique role. Dominated by the mighty Fujiwara clan, the Japanese court was the bright centre of a world in which rare and exquisite taste in poetry, art, calligraphy, dress, incense, colour, even the selection of gifts, was cultivated to an amazing degree. This gossamer veil of beauty masked another reality of political intrigue and passionate rivalries which intensified the heady atmosphere of a court in which flirtations and love affairs were endemic. Cultivated and artistic women held a privileged position at court, and they perfected the literary genre of diaries that combined subtlety, strength and starkness in their depictions of life in this enclosed and dream-like world. These diaries are among the jewels of Japanese literature and three are presented here - The Sarashina Diary, the Diary of Izumi Shikibu and the Diary of Murasaki Shikibu - with an introduction by the poet Amy Lowell, an early admirer of Japanese literature.

About the Author

The name of the author of the Sarashina Diary is unknown, but she was the daughter of Fujiwara no Takasue, and was born around 1009AD. Izumi Shikibu was born around 976AD, served at the court of the Empress Akiko and married Fujiwara no Yasimasu. Murasaki Shikibu, born around 973AD, was the daughter of Fujiwara Tametoki and the wife and then widow of Fujiwara no Nobutaka. A lady-in-waiting to Empress Akiko, she was also the author of the great epic Tale of Genji, considered by many to be the first modern novel. Translated by Annie Shepley Omore and Koichi Doi.

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