Murasaki Shikibu and Fujiwara no Michinaga: between literature and power

In the fictional portraits, Murasaki Shikibu, the author of Said of Genji, and the statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga are often depicted as being very close. A new work seeks to disentangle fact from fiction about these two major figures of the Heian period in Japan.

Daughter of a poor scholar

Murasaki Shikibu, the author of Said of Genji, considered the world’s oldest novel, and the powerful statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga both lived during the Heian period (794–1185). In fictional contexts, they are often described as very close or even lovers.

Murasaki Shikibu to Fujiwara no Michinagaby Kuramoto Kazuhiro

In his new work, Kuramoto Kazuhiro, professor at the International Center for Research in Japanese Studies, attempts to provide more nuanced elements. “How can we characterize the nature of a situation when stories come to life, and some mistakenly believe that Murasaki Shikibu and Fujiwara no Michinaga were exactly as they appear in the TV series? » we can read in the introduction. In his book, the author seeks to assert what can be considered truth from primary sources, such as diaries that belonged to them. His writing focuses on both characters, but here I want to focus on Murasaki Shikibu.

Murasaki Shikibu’s parents were born into the Fujiwara clan in the northern part of the country. They therefore belonged to the aristocracy, although the author of the book notes that his father, Tametoki, came from a minor branch and was therefore nothing more than a “poor scholar without official position”. In fact, Murasaki’s real name is unknown. The name “Murasaki Shikibu” was later given to him by writers for convenience. Different theories also struggle to agree on the year of his birth. For Kuramoto Kazuhiro, she was born in 973.

His mother died prematurely and his father remarried. Later, after a long period without holding any office, he became regional governor. Murasaki Shikibu wanted more than anything to acquire knowledge from a young age. It was his father who taught him the Chinese classics. Buddhist works, Japanese poetry and other literature held few secrets for her. He even became an accomplished author of poems wakaa talent that will open the doors of the court to him.

A short-term union

In 998, Murasaki Shikibu married Fujiwara no Nobutaka, a competent official in his forties. He had already had children with three other women. He is described by Kuramoto Kazuhiro as “dissipated”. Murasaki Shikibu was almost 25 years old when she got married, which was rather late for the time. According to custom, it was the men who entered the woman’s home at the time of marriage. However, her father having not held any position for a long period when she was young, the family budget found itself severely restricted. Finding a suitor before the age of 25 was impossible.

Kuramoto Kazuhiro writes in his book that until their union, “Fujiwara no Nobutaka did not live under the same roof as Murasaki Shikibu, but with another of his wives.” The following year, he wrote a poem about lovers’ quarrels, something the author believes reveals Murasaki Shikibu’s strength of character. A daughter was born from their union, but it was only short-lived since Fujiwara no Nobutaka died two and a half years later of illness.

Although short-lived, her union with Nobutaka likely shaped Murasaki Shikibu’s unique view on men and marriage. She will end up expressing her impressions in different ways in The Tale of Genji.

Imperial and political power at the palace

After his widowhood, Murasaki Shikibu entered the service of the daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga and Empress Shôshi. Michinaga had arranged for his daughter to become the wife of Emperor Ichijô. However, she was not his favorite, he preferring Teishi, his first consort.

Screen by Tawaraya Sôtatsu illustrating scenes from Said of Genjiexhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019. (© Kyôdô)

With 54 chapters, The Said of Genji is an extremely long work. According to Kuramoto Kazuhiro, Murasaki Shikibu turned to writing after the death of her husband, before entering court service. As a widow, continuing to work on her work when her schedule allowed must not have been easy, and getting her hands on materials such as paper, particularly expensive at that time, probably even less so. How could she write her masterpiece? According to his diary, it was Michinaga who provided him with paper, brushes and ink. But why ?

The Tale of Genji, a work based on Murasaki Shikibu’s experiences in the inner palace, played a role in Michinaga’s plans to obtain absolute power. Kuramoto’s explanations of these acts are one of the key elements of the book. According to him, although at first glance it was an elegant tale of romantic stories, this great classic powerfully depicts the workings of imperial power and palace politics. A great lover of stories, Emperor Ichijô loved to visit Shôshi to listen to him read aloud. Of course, this was not trivial; he intended to use his works to strengthen the emperor’s attachment to his daughter.

At the end of a political standoff with Ichijô’s successor, Emperor Sanjô, Michinaga had his grandson, who was none other than the son born from the union of Ichijô and Shôshi, installed on the throne. as Emperor Go-Ichijô. Michinaga himself became the center of power as regent, and could sometimes call upon Murasaki Shikibu. But palace life did not suit the latter, which is why at the end of his life, as if to get away from it, he devoted himself to pure land Buddhism, even making a vow to renounce the world. Fujiwara no Michinaga died in 1027, at the age of 62. Specialists struggle to agree on the precise year of Murasaki Shikibu’s death, before or after Michinaga, but for Kuramoto, “the prosperity of his house, Michinaga got it from Murasaki Shikibu and the Said of Genji “.

Compare fictional depictions of Murasaki Shikibu and Fujiwara no Michinaga, as they may appear in the series taiga NHK drama this year, knowing the true story is a way to appreciate the relationship between them. Was it even possible that the son of a regent family could have met the daughter of a poor scholar when they were children? As for the widely shared idea that Murasaki was Michinaga’s mistress, Kuramoto Kazuhiro refutes it outright, pointing out that the evidence supporting the fact that they had an intimate relationship is almost non-existent.