An Analysis of the Diary of Lady Murasaki

An Analysis of The Diary of Lady Murasaki

The author of The Diary of Lady Murasaki went by the name Murasaki Shikibu while employed as an attendant within the palace for the Fujiwara clan. Her diary allows the public into a very private part of the lives of royalty and those who worked for them in the imperial court. However, it is unlike most other diaries in the fact that it lacks frequent, chronological entries. Instead, lady Murasaki's focus when writing, is the birth of Prince Atsuhira and the celebrations after it. It is unknown exactly why lady Murasaki had chosen to write her diary in this way, but it may be because she desired to elevate the importance of the Prince's birth within Fujiwara no Michinaga's life. At that time, Empress Shōshi seemed to have taken nine years to become pregnant, and the long awaited birth of a son “meant that if all went well Michinaga would be in full control of the next generation” (Shikibu and Bowring loc. 202). Not only does Murasaki constantly address the court's décor and attire of the Royalty and their attendants in order to provide visitors with an artful rendition of this important event, but also notes both the elegant and disgraceful actions of the royalty and attendants of the court. She also includes her elegant anecdotes and poetry; not for personal use, but to compliment the beauty of the clothing worn and demonstrate the gracefulness of the Empress.

The birth of Michinaga's grandson, Prince Atsuhira, is what allowed the Fujiwara clan to maintain its rule over the Japanese empire during the Heian period. It is then very possible that Murasaki was instructed to document the event, and make it available as a reference to honored patrons of the court. Murasaki accomplishes this in a very original way for her time period. During the Heian period, records were usually written by men in sino-Japanese (Shikibu and Bowring loc. 254). Records written at this time tended to be opaque, and so Murasaki utilizes her...