How Did Shikibu Write The Tale Of Genji

The Tale of Genji was written in the eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu. The writing portrays the relationships of men and women during their daily lives in the Japanese court. Her writing is considered the world’s first novel. During this time, Japan was in the Heian period. In which most the culture was generated inside the palace by the male aristocrats and noblemen who had the privilege to learn calligraphy and reading.

In 794 Emperor Kammu moved Japan’s capital to Kyoto starting the Heian period. During this time, the Fujiwara family had control over the country because the emperor was either dealing with affairs or indulging in his personal life. But, because the Japanese believed the emperor was a descendant from Amaterasu, the sun goddess the Fujiwara could not challenge to overthrow the power. Murasaki Shikibu the novelist was a lady in waiting for the Imperial court because her mother and father were from the Fujiwara family who married into the emperor’s family. (World and Its Peoples: 1038).

Her brothers were very well educated and because they were male they learned to read in Chinese. Shikibu would listen to her brother reading and she became extremely intelligent and fluent in Chinese. (Knapp 33). This helped influence her ideas about Japan and made The Tale of Genji very popular. Women at the time did not write about politics but about daily life in diaries, making the novel so important. Heian court life began to emerge customs were women would be educated and respected. This contributed to cultural developments because the rest of the world did not allow women to be